Sons of Sparda V: End of All Hope
by The Night Lord
Summary: Jenny joins forces with a fellow demon hunter to bring down a dangerous cult, only to result in the summoning of the Goddess of Death. And with its arrival comes the return of past defeated foes. Looks like Dante and gang are in for a hell of a time. R
1. Dancing to the Beat

**Yep, it's here at last, the fifth installment of the Sons of Sparda series. I know it's been a long time since the fourth and prequel, but rest assured, it's here right now. And I promise a lot of fights and battles in this story, simply because nearly all past foes that have been defeated over the years return from the dead. Sounds like fun**

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The music was loud and pounding. And that's the way the dancers loved it. The club was packed tonight, lasers and lights flashing all over the place. People were enjoying themselves, dancing together in a tight pack. While mostly everyone was dancing, there were two people who had most of the attention on the dance floor. Both were girls, in their early twenties and both with shoulder-length white hair. One girl was wearing a black midriff leather top, black wristbands and red leather pants, her hair hanging over her face, while her cousin was wearing a black singlet, a blue sleeveless midriff jacket, fingerless gloves and black leather pants, her hair brushed back into small spikes. They were dancing nearby each other, enjoying the attention they were receiving, as they had at least six guys hanging around them each. The song ended and they headed over to the bar to get a drink each

"Enjoying yourself?" Jenny asked

"Sure am," Lili answered, "How can I not?"

"Oh, check it out. Bikies"

Lili raised an eyebrow, as about ten leather-clad bikers walked in, heading towards the bar and ordering drinks. Jenny frowned suddenly, but shrugged and headed back out onto the dance floor, as Lili followed after her

"What's up?"

"Nothing"

One of the bikers noticed the pair and headed over with a smile on his face

"How's it going, ladies?"

"Was going good until you spoke," Jenny answered

The biker frowned at her, as she smiled sweetly at him

"Oh come on, no need to be like that"

Two more bikers joined him, one of them leering at Lili, but she just scoffed at him and threw him a death glare, one clearly inherited from her father

"Oh, it's only for fun," Jenny smiled

"Yeah, that's the way," the biker grinned

He then made the awful mistake of patting Jenny on the butt. She glared at him, still dancing, before slamming her fist into his face. The biker growled, his eyes turning completely black. Lili raised an eyebrow when she saw this. The other dancers started to back away in case things got ugly, which they were starting to be as the rest of the bikers walked over to Jenny

"Take a seat, Lili," she said, still dancing, "This might take a while"

"Have fun"

Lili sat down at the bar, as the bikers surrounded Jenny, their eyes completely black, while Jenny continued dancing as if none of the threatening stances fazed her. But since she was the daughter of the legendary demon hunter, Dante, not much did. The biker demon that Jenny had hit cracked his knuckles, then his neck as he grinned

"Time to have a bit of fun, boys"

He punched at her, but she deflected his fist, before punching him in the face and elbowing another biker in the face. Two demons attacked at the same time, but Jenny dodged them, taking them out with punches, before kicking a demon coming from behind in the chest. He fell onto his back, as Jenny grabbed a demon and tossed him through the air, smashing through a table, before doing a roundhouse kick on another demon, spinning him through air and falling onto his face

"He's gonna feel that in the morning," Lili said

A demon swung his fist, but Jenny blocked, delivering two swift punches to his stomach, before uppercutting him through the air. The demon landed on the edge of the bar, as Jenny threw another demon over the bar and into the shelves of alcohol, shattering them completely and spraying the liquid everywhere. A demon punched her in the face, before grabbing her by the shoulders and throwing her through the air towards the second floor. Jenny teleported behind the demon, as Gilgamesh appeared on her body and she slammed her fist into the demon's back, the thruster popping out of the gauntlet and blasting the demon through the air

"That's gotta sting"

Another demon grabbed a chair and swung it towards Jenny, but she blocked the blow, the chair shattering over her armour, as the gauntlet glowed a bright red. Jenny punched the demon, the energy reducing him to dust, as she faced the demons slowly getting up. They all charged her at once, but with skill and ease, Jenny took them all out and was soon surrounded by dust, as Lili applauded. The music was still playing, but the club was almost empty, as the occupants had left when the fight started. The applauding continued, but it wasn't Lili. Gilgamesh faded away, as Jenny turned towards the sound of the clapping

"Impressive show, Jen. You've got the moves"

She smiled

"Nice to see you again, Tristan"

Her older twin brother smiled at her. While he was away in Tibet, he had shaved his stubble and cut his hair short. Now it was mostly flat at the back, while sticking up in spikes at the front. He was wearing his black trench coat over a black shirt, jeans and boots, as he spread his arms

"So…no hug?"

"Yeah, right"

"Okay, fair enough. I get the hint"

Tristan sat down at a table that hadn't been destroyed and grabbed the half-full cup of alcohol, before downing it in one gulp. Jenny gave him a look, as Lili did the same

"So, you're back. Does that mean you're good now?"

Tristan didn't answer straight away, as he stared at the cup, before letting out a sigh

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, three years in Tibet have gotta do something for you"

"And that means that Dad is back, right?"

"Yeah, he's back. We're finished in Tibet. It's all good now. I mean, I'm good now"

He put the cup down and got up from the table

"So, shall we head home now that you've finished destroying the place?"

"I did not!" Jenny protested

"Yeah, right," Tristan smirked

Lili rolled her eyes as she followed her twin cousins out of the club

†††††††††††

The front door of Devil May Cry opened with a jingle, as Dante stepped inside, placing his bags near the door and looking around. Not much had seemingly changed in the shop over the last three years. He took a few steps inside, when someone walked into the room

"Hey babe, I'm back," Dante grinned

Trish broke into a smile as she moved towards him, before wrapping him into a hug. Dante smiled as he hugged her back, before giving her a passionate kiss

"Mmm, been missing those," Trish smiled

"Then I guess we have a lot to make up for"

"Daddy!"

Dante and Trish broke apart, as their two youngest children came running into the room, wrapping their arms around Dante's legs, as he smiled

"Hey there, how's it going?"

"We missed you," Ash said, "Are you here to stay forever now"

"Always, kiddo. I'll always be here"

Ash stepped back, as Dante picked Caitlyn up

"And how are you, bub?"

"I've been good," she answered

"So, seeing as you're back, I'm guessing Tristan is back," Trish asked

"Yeah. He saw Jenny and Lili last night. He'll be arriving right about now"

The front door opened, as Tristan came into the shop, putting his bag down beside his father's, before looking up at his mother

"Hi, how's it going?" he asked nervously

Trish didn't answer as she pulled him into a hug, pressing a small kiss to his cheek. Tristan was momentarily stunned, before hugging his mother back. A few minutes later, they broke apart

"You look good," Trish said

"Thanks, so do you"

"Who's that?" Ash asked

"That's your older brother, Tristan," Dante said, "Say hi"

Tristan knelt down before his younger brother, a smile on his face

"Hi there. I'm Ash," the little boy said

"I'm Tristan. Do you want to show me around the place?"

"Yeah, okay, come on"

Ash took Tristan by the hand and led him around the shop, showing him the numerous trophies and weapons, before taking him upstairs, as Dante turned to his wife

"Everything is back to normal, the way it should be"

Caitlyn wrapped her arms around Dante's neck, as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, before giving Trish another kiss, wrapping his arm around her waist and taking her upstairs, where Jenny was standing in the hallway, arms crossed and an irritated look on her face

"What's up, pumpkin?" Dante asked

Jenny looked over at him, the irritation fading as she ran over and hugged him

"Good to see you're back"

"Thanks. So why are you looking so unhappy"

"Because Tristan and Ash just barged into my room while I was still asleep. Ash is showing Tristan the whole shop and I mean the whole shop"

Dante laughed and pulled his daughter into a hug

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	2. Training Lesson

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"I hear Tristan is back," Vergil said

He raised his sword and slowly cut down, before slicing diagonally upwards to his right, then slicing out wide to his left at waist height

"Yeah and he seems reformed," Lili confirmed

She followed her father's pattern, as they did a small turn, slicing upwards, then straight down, finishing off with a small lunging thrust and withdrawing

"Which means Dante is back. Therefore, they're all done in Tibet"

"Took them long enough. I mean, three years, come on"

"Well, Tristan did grow up with Jester, who doesn't like us a lot"

"You mean really hates us?"

"Anyhow, so he would have a lot of dark matter inside him from wherever it was he grew up and the anger he bore because of Jester telling him little white lies"

"Yeah, okay and did you have anything like that?"

"I did, actually, a long time ago, which is why I know so much about it"

They moved their sword arms out to their right, before cocking them up to their heads, swinging the katana over their heads and down, before slowly sheathing the blade and taking a couple of steps back

"So, do you want to do the same pattern again or a different one?" Vergil asked

"I think I'll go with a different set actually. That's basic stuff," Lili replied

"I know, but there's nothing wrong with going over the basic stuff. Keeps it inside your mind, so you can fall back on it when you need to"

"Alright, I'll remember that then"

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"You're doing good, you're doing good, keep it coming"

Nero deflected Michael's strike, before swiftly blocking Cameron's Streaker, as Michael attempted a Snatch with his Devil Bringer, but Nero caught his arm with his right hand and grinned at his son

"Nice try"

Michael groaned as Nero let his arm go. Cameron took the opportunity to strike with his sword, but Nero was expecting it and blocked him, whirling around and using Cameron's momentum to make him fall flat on his face. He groaned as he got to his feet and turned around, as Nero dodged Michael's attack

"You're getting better, the both of you"

"How's it going in here?"

Nero turned around as Kyrie came into the room, their daughter Evelyn following after her. Nero put his sword down, as Michael and Cameron faced each other

"It's going good," he said, "They're getting a lot better"

"Well obviously, because you're teaching them"

"And how are you doing with your spells?" Nero asked his daughter

"Doing pretty good, Dad," Evelyn answered, "Mum reckons I'm ready for the advanced stuff, which is really good, as its takes others usually a few more years before they reach the advanced stuff"

"That's my girl. You keep practising and you'll be as good as your mother"

"Stop, you're making me blush, Dad"

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Celeste dodged Spencer's stab, as he whirled around and slashed wide. She blocked the blade and took his knees out, before stepping back as he got up. He took in a few deep breaths, before attacking again. Celeste blocked or dodged his moves, before stepping around him, as he followed and slashed wide. She blocked and pushed his sword to the ground, before elbowing him in the chest

"Okay, I get the hint," Spencer said, half-smiling

"Don't worry, you're getting there," Celeste said

"But I won't be in the same league as Jenny or Lili. Have you seen them fight?"

"Actually no, I haven't, but I imagine it would be a younger, female version of Dante and Vergil fighting. Now those two are bad. In a good kinda way"

"Yeah, Jen reckons they actually spill blood from each other"

"Only if it gets too intense and Trish or Lady aren't there to stop them"

"Oh, okay then"

"Ready to go again?"

"Yeah"

Just then, David came into the room, carrying their three-year-old son, Shaun

"How you doing, Spence?"

"Oh, he's doing just fine," Celeste answered

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Dante ducked under Jenny's roundhouse kick, before blocking Tristan's left hook, as Jenny came in with a straight jab. Dante broke away from Tristan, avoiding the blow, before pushing Jenny aside and blocking Tristan's front snap kick. Jenny whirled around with a kick, which Dante ducked, as Tristan leaned in with a punch. Dante rose up and blocked, pushing Tristan back, before throwing Jenny aside when she came in with a side snap kick. Dante grinned, as Trish came into the room with a plate of sandwiches and drinks

"Having fun?"

"As always," Jenny grumbled from her position on the floor

Dante helped her up, before heading over to Trish and ruffling up Ash's hair. He instantly brushed his hair back down, as Dante grinned and grabbed a drink. Tristan and Jenny decided to have a spar, as Dante sat down next to his wife

"I never got to ask, but how did his training go?" Trish said

"Oh it went quite well, actually," Dante replied, "We got rid of all the Jester-induced magic and abilities, getting him in touch with his natural abilities"

Trish winced as a lightning bolt struck the wall, courtesy of Jenny

"Don't do that again, alright," Dante called out

"Sorry, Dad"

Tristan snickered, but had to duck and step back from one of Jenny's punch quickly

"This is how it should be," Dante said

"What, them two fighting? It's bad enough with you and Vergil"

"You know what I mean"

"I know what you mean"

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Dante stood still, training his ears for any sounds. There were none, but he knew he wasn't alone. The hunted was silent. He couldn't quite pinpoint its location and that made him more wary of it. He had been asked to take care of this demon, which had been causing more than a few problems for a small village

"Come out, come out, come out wherever you are," Dante said into the darkness, "No need to be afraid. Okay, so there is a need to be afraid. I'm here"

There was a slight movement to his right. His hand moved slowly towards Ivory. The movement was getting closer, faster now. Dante turned and whipped out Ivory, aiming it, just as the large Chaos demon came flying out of the darkness, mouth open and fangs bared, saliva flying from its raspy tongue. Dante fired a few rounds, but the demon took the hits without slowing down, slamming into Dante and sending him flying. He landed on his feet, drawing Alastor, as the demon fell upon him

Dante went flying through the air, feeling his ribs bruise from the blow. It felt like a speeding road train had struck him. He hit the ground hard and instantly flipped up onto his feet, as the Chaos demon lashed out at him, slashing him across the face. Dante swung Alastor, the blade flashing bright blue from the electricity, but the demon caught the blade, ripping it away, and smacked Dante down. He kicked it in the stomach, swiftly getting up and leaping over its large paw, avoiding the claws, punching the demon in the face as he landed behind it. The demon whirled around, slashing wide. Dante ducked and delivered a punch to the stomach, as the demon uppercutted him

"Damn, what the hell is going on here?" Dante muttered, "Normally I can kick a Chaos demon's ass with ease. But this thing is stronger than normal"

The demon roared and charged at Dante, as a couple of gunshots rang out. He looked up to see Tristan walking into the fray, shooting the demon in the chest. It roared and lunged at him, the bullets seemingly ineffective as it slammed Tristan into the ground. Dante lunged forth and grabbed Alastor, before driving the blade through the demon's back. It roared and backhanded Dante away, as Tristan rammed his handgun into the demon's mouth and fired several times. The demon slumped over, as Dante removed Alastor and helped his son to his feet

"How'd you know I was out here?" Dante asked

"Mum told me about it. I thought I come along and help out"

"Well, I appreciate it. That demon was a lot stronger than usual"

"I wonder why. Someone must have summoned it and made it stronger"

"Yeah, we'll leave it at that. Come on, I've got a box of cash with my name on it"

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	3. The Job Offer

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"An unnaturally strong Chaos demon?" Vergil asked, "Could be possible"

"You think that this demon was dabbling in magic to make himself stronger?" Dante asked, "I don't think so, Verge. I couldn't detect any magic on the boy"

"Okay then, maybe someone's doing experiments on demons. It's happened before"

"It has?"

"Some of the demons we've fought in the past were a result of experiments"

"Oh…right then. Well, that's a possibility"

"So, are you going to investigate it?"

"I think I might. If someone is playing around with the power of a Chaos demon, then that's not good news. I'll find them and stop them"

"Vergil, Dante, do you want anything?" Lady asked, coming into the room

Her dark hair was now streaked with grey due to her age, which was starting to show on her face. She had retired from hunting two years ago, wanting to live a normal, peaceful life while she could, leaving the hunting to her husband and daughter

"Uh, no thanks honey, we're good," Vergil said

"Okay then"

She left the room as Vergil turned to his twin

"In any case, I should come with you, just to make sure you don't lose it"

"Thanks for the offer, Verge, but I think I can handle this one"

"Alright then, but call me if you do need help"

"Yeah, whatever"

Dante headed out of the room, as Vergil sat at his desk and returned to his book

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"_This is fun…not. Lalalalala, I am so booorreedd,"_ Jenny thought

She was at the office, seated at her father's desk with her feet on the table. Dante was over at Vergil's; Tristan had gone out, while Trish was upstairs with the twins. As Jenny was about to start another round of counting demonic trophies, the front door swung open, jingling the bell. However, Jenny didn't move from her position as she eyed the visitor. He was about six feet tall, with blue eyes and spiky blond hair. He wore a black trench coat over a red V-neck T-shirt and black denims. He also wore heavy boots and black fingerless gloves, with a long sword strapped to his back

"This is Devil May Cry?" he asked

"Sign's out the front," Jenny replied, staring at the ceiling, "You miss it?"

"Where can I find Dante?"

"Not here. But I am. What can I do for you, Mr…er?"

"James Knight. Who are you?"

"Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny. I'm Dante's daughter. Now, back to my question"

"I need some help regarding a powerful and dangerous cult"

"You're a demon, aren't you?" Jenny asked, sitting up, "I can smell it"

"I'm part demon," James replied, "I'm also a demon hunter"

"Huh, funny. Who is this cult and why do you need my help?"

"They're called the Cult of Darkness and they're currently involved in the resurrection of the Goddess of Death"

"Sounds like a fun family holiday. G.O.D, what's that?"

"G.O.D?"

"Goddess of Death. So much easier to say. So come on, details, man"

"The Goddess of Death is a powerful and deadly…well god. She has the power to raise the dead from their graves. She was defeated and sealed away millenniums ago by the Demon King Lucifer"

"Lucifer? I thought Mundus was the demon king"

"Lucifer was before Mundus. How do you think Mundus became the king?"

"Oh wait, I think I remember my father telling me he fought and defeated Lucifer about fifteen years ago. Now, about the Cult. Who's the leader?"

"A demon by the name of Maverick. He's a frost demon. Very dangerous"

"Sounds like you've done your research on things," Jenny said, leaning back in the chair, crossing her arms behind her head, "How do I know I can trust you?"

"Because if the Cult succeeds, the world is doomed," James replied

"As if I haven't heard that one before. Alright, I'll help you out. But I want payment at the end of it all"

"Don't worry, that will be taken care of"

Jenny got up from the desk and grabbed her red trench coat. She didn't change her top, which was a black sports bra, as she threw her coat on, before grabbing her handguns and Rebellion, sheathing the sword on her back

"If this is a trap, I'm killing you," Jenny warned

"Very well then, Jenny. Shall we get going?"

Jenny scribbled out a quick note to her mother, before leaving the shop with James

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Tristan blocked the Assault's claws and impaled the reptilian demon, before whirling around and slicing a Scarecrow in half. A Goatling fired an energy blast, which Tristan flipped over, as he drew a handgun and shot the Goatling out of the air. Landing on his feet, Tristan dodged the claws of another Assault, before spinning and decapitating the demon. He then grinned at the last remaining Goatling, before striking it with a lightning bolt, then leaping through the air and impaling it through the chest. Removing his sword, Tristan sheathed it and looked around at the surrounding carnage he had created. There were dead demons lying around him in a circle, stretching out several metres in radius. Tristan had taken up a job to eliminate a pack of Assault demons. However, it wasn't quite he had expected, getting attacked by a vast amount of demons instead. Although he hadn't been back home long, he knew something was wrong if a whole group of demons attacked him

"Maybe Dad might know something"

The bodies began to fade away, as Tristan headed off back home

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"Trish!"

Trish headed downstairs where she found Dante at the desk, a note in his hand

"What is it?"

"Did you know that Jenny has gone out on a mission?" he asked

"I do now. How do you know?"

"She left us a note, but she doesn't specify the mission"

"I don't remember hearing the phone call"

"We had a visitor. And Jenny left with him"

"You're not thinking she's walking into a trap?" Trish asked

Dante was about to reply when Tristan arrived back at the shop

"How'd it go?" Trish asked her son

"It was more than a simple Assault pack," Tristan replied, "Took on a whole horde of demons. Something's going on if something like that happens"

"I don't think Jenny is safe," Dante said

"Why, where is she?" Tristan asked

"She left on a mission with some guy. Now, since we had the pumped-up Chaos demon and the horde of demons attacking Tristan, I'm thinking Jenny's in danger"

"Does she have her cell on her?" Trish asked

She headed for the phone, before calling her daughter's number. However, she got no reply from Jenny and hung up

"Couldn't get her"

"Alright, I'm going after her," Dante said

"I'll come with," Tristan offered

Dante grabbed Alastor and his infamous handguns, before leaving the shop with Tristan close behind him

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	4. The Cult of Darkness

**Here is the new chapter, which is kicking off the story and introduces the new villian, Maverick. Hope you all enjoy this new chappie!**

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"Everything ready?" Maverick asked

"We're almost up and ready to go," a demon replied, "Just a few minor adjustments"

Maverick let out a sigh. He stood at about five foot five, with blue eyes and windswept jet-black hair. He wore a sleeveless black trench coat with the collar up around his jawline, as well as a black muscle shirt and denim pants, while wearing dark grey gauntlets and greaves

"Why do these things take so long to prepare?" he asked, running a hand through his hair, "The layout's fine, so is the planning, but it's the actual doing that's a bitch"

"We're nearly there, sir," a demon said, "Shall we take a look at it?"

"Of course. Lead the way, douchebag"

The demon led Maverick out into a massive underground cavern, where a gateway about thirty-two feet across rested, imbedded in the thick rock. Demons were slaving away, chipping at the rock as they slowly unearthed the large gateway. The carvings depicted on the gateway consisted of a pentagram with a bull's skull in the centre, while the archaic symbol for death was etched into the arms of the pentagram

"Looks…nice," Maverick said, "You should have seen Lucifer's. Now that was fancy. Of course, it was freaking hard to open"

"Are you pleased with this?" the demon asked

"Dude, what is with this sucking-up servitude?"

"Just so you won't kill me, sir"

"Oh"

With a flick of his wrist, Maverick threw an ice shard into the demon's throat, grinning as he toppled over the railing, falling down twenty feet into the cavern

"I just hate ass-kissers," Maverick said, "Get the ritual ready," he ordered

†††††††††††

"Out on an island," Jenny said, tying her short hair back into a ponytail, "How original"

"This is the last resting place of the G.O.D," James said, steering the boat

"You're learning my lingo. It's a start"

James rolled his eyes and pointed out a sentry guard standing on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Jenny whipped out a handgun, aimed him up and fired from over six hundred feet away, watching as the guard toppled off the cliff. James's eyes widened in amazement, as Jenny grinned and holstered her gun. Their boat made its silent way to the back of the island, where there were fewer guards. Parking the boat, James and Jenny got out, sheathing their swords, as they slowly made their way up the rocky cliff, reaching the top easily thanks to their demonic side, before peering down into the valley below. Jenny let out a small whistle

"Wow. That's big. All for this Goddess of Death?"

"She is a powerful entity," James replied, "Her battle against Lucifer is historic"

"So, what powers does she have? Should I be scared?"

"Can resurrect the dead. Also has an instant death touch"

"A bit like the Grim Reaper. How about we send these guys to meet him"

"Not one of those workers is a human. They're all demons. Slavic demons, I think. Born and bred to be slaves. I can see there are several beefed-up Chaos demons"

"So that's where they're coming from," Jenny said, "Dad was pissed about that"

James drew his long sword and held it up into the setting sun

"Time to go in and stop this ritual"

"Sounds like a plan," Jenny said, drawing Rebellion

†††††††††††

Maverick stared down at the gateway as he made his way down the stairs and to the massive lock, as a pedestal and a thick book were placed before it. About five humans were kneeling in the middle of the gateway, whipped and bound, as Maverick stood before the book, rolling his eyes at the Latin inscriptions

"Do we have a translation of this?" he asked the demons, "No? Bugger. Oh well, let's get on with it. Wasted too much time on this"

Maverick started reading from the book, as a demon suddenly landed on the gateway, a large laceration on its chest. Frowning, Maverick looked up at the direction of the fall, seeing a red-clad woman slicing her way through his followers. But she wasn't the only one. A blond-haired man clad in black was also doing the same

"Knight," Maverick growled, "Here, finish this. I've got business to take care of"

Maverick walked away from the book, as a demon stepped up and started reading. Maverick's hands started glowing light blue, as he unleashed two blasts of ice at James. He saw the attack and jumped back, as six demons were frozen solid. James smashed them apart with his sword, as flames appeared around his left hand. He launched a fireball at Maverick, who froze it and jumped aside from the projectile

"Why don't you and your lady friend come on down?" Maverick asked, "We could have a proper chat this time. I'm shouting the cookies and tea"

"I don't think raising the Goddess of Death is going to do you much," James said

"Oh yeah? Well, for starters, I get granted amnesty from her. Secondly and I'm hoping wildly for this, she'll allow me to be her king"

"More like she'll stick you on a spit roast and turn you into Mr. Crispy"

"Yeah, she'll make you her personal barbeque"

BLAM!

Maverick twisted his body, dodging the bullet, as Jenny killed a demon and jumped off the ledge, falling down twenty feet to land before Maverick, as he smiled

"I just had to add my two cents in," Jenny said, "So, you're Maverick, huh?"

"Well, well, what a pretty we have here," Maverick grinned, "Oh and better yet, she's the daughter of Dante. Awesome"

"It's the hair, isn't it? The hair is always a dead giveaway"

"So is the red clothing, the massive sword, the swagger and oh yeah, your scent"

"Moving on," Jenny said, "I'm here to stop you from raising the G.O.D"

"Look, little lady, you're not stopping me from raising the Goddess of Death"

Jenny drew her handgun and aimed it at his forehead

"You sure about that?"

"Jenny!"

Two winged demons landed on the gateway, transforming into Dante and Tristan

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Jenny asked

"You left on a mission without specifying it," Dante replied, "Oh and also, you left with a frigging Linkin Beast, a highly dangerous and destructive demon"

"I'm only half Linkin Beast," James said, landing behind them

"You stay out of it," Dante said, turning around, before frowning

"Dante, Dante, Dante, how long has it been?" Maverick asked, "Fifteen years, right? Such a long time. We definitely have to catch up"

"Let me guess, Maverick, you're gonna spring another almighty demon from hell?" Dante asked, "How'd that work out for you last time?"

"If you or Cloud weren't there, it would have worked perfectly," Maverick said, "How is Cloud, by the way? How are his friends?"

Dante whirled around, drawing Ebony and firing three rounds into Maverick's chest. The frost demon chuckled, lightly touching his wounds

"Guns don't work on me, dumb-ass"

"Then I'll have to settle for decapitating you," Dante said, drawing Alastor

"You know, we've been having this lovely chat and guess what's been happening in that time? The ritual is being performed"

"What?" Tristan cried

The humans had their throats slit, their blood spilling onto the gateway, as the entire cavern began rumbling. Rocks began crumbling, as a bright light shot up from the gateway. Dante swung Alastor at Maverick, who jumped out of the way

"Dun, dun, dun, what's gonna happen next?" Maverick said, "G.O.D is coming"

"You little twerp," Dante growled

The cavern started falling in on itself, as Maverick laughed and transformed into a demon similar to a Frost demon, but with wings, as he shot out of the cavern. Dante, Jenny, Tristan and James all Devil Triggered, flying out of the cavern, as it collapsed completely and created an explosive, the shockwave firing out and rocking the citizens of Fortuna, all the while as the bright light danced in the air

"This is not going to be good," Dante said

"This is going to be very bad," Jenny agreed

"We should head back to the mainland," James suggested

Agreeing with his suggestion, the four devils turned and flew back to Fortuna

†††††††††††


	5. Big Bad Return

†††††††††††

"What the hell is going on?" Lili cried as the house shook

"Earthquake," Lady replied, "But this is so much more intense than normal"

"Evil has risen," Vergil said, "I can feel it. Whatever it is, it's powerful"

The shockwaves subsided, as Vergil headed to his library, searching through his books, trying to find whatever he could that would explain the earthquake

"Got anything?" Lady asked

"Nothing. Maybe Dante knows something. I'll ask him"

Vergil grabbed his cell phone, flipping it open and dialling Dante's number

"Damn, phone lines are down"

"Yep, this is so not good," Lili said, "We're going to hell"

†††††††††††

"Okay, let's get started," Dante said, "Who the frigging hell are you?"

"I'm James Knight," he answered, "I'm a demon hunter"

"Yeah, but you're also part Linkin Beast. And I hate those demons"

"I am not like those demons, just like you," James said

"Dad, he was helping me to stop the Cult," Jenny said

"For all we know, he was probably helping Maverick in secret," Dante said

"Sounds like you know this Maverick guy," Tristan said, "Got a history?"

"Yeah, he was the one who raised Lucifer fifteen years ago," Dante said, "Luckily, I had some help from Cloud and we managed to defeat Lucifer. But Maverick got away. Now, I get to kill him"

Dante started to head back towards the office, when another earthquake rumbled out. This time, however, a massive tower started rising up in the centre of Fortuna

"Is that Temen-ni-gru, Dad?" Jenny asked

"No, it's not," Dante replied, "This is something else"

"It's the tower of the Goddess," James said, "Her throne"

A massive orange portal opened up above the tower, as demons of all kinds started pouring out. But Dante also noticed a few familiar demons coming out of the portal. Demons he knew that were to be dead

"Come on, let's head back," he said, "We'll call the others and sort this out"

†††††††††††

"Isn't this pretty sweet?" Maverick asked, "I managed to raise the Goddess of Death and she's answered to my prayers. Well, not so much prayers, more like demands"

"For once, I'm glad someone listened to you," Gloria said, "Being in the Underworld really sucked major"

"You're the only who got your ass handed to you by Nero, who is kinda weak when compared to Dante and Vergil. Shame on you, sister"

"At least I get another chance to kill you if you piss me off too much"

"Are you getting affected yet?" Maverick smirked

"Cut it out, you two," Beelzebub growled, standing on the edge of the tower, his arms crossed, "You two are nothing but a pair of headaches"

"I'm sorry, Father," Gloria said, bowing slightly towards him

"Yeah, I'm sorry too, Dad," Maverick said, rolling his eyes, "Shouldn't all of you be bowing before me? I saved you all from the Underworld"

"You had nothing to do with it," Balthazar said, "She brought us back, not you"

"Tough luck, brother," Gloria smiled

"I did better than you. I've raised Lucifer and now I've raised the Goddess. What's the best you've done? You raised Dad from his tomb. So I'm better than you"

"Lucifer was just a simple demon king. Father is a godking. So I did better"

"I am this close to sending the pair of you to the Underworld," Beelzebub warned

"Send him there so he knows what it's like," Gloria said, pointing at her brother

Beelzebub sighed and rubbed his forehead

"See, this is what happens when you have kids," Janice said

"No, this is what happens when you have a father like him," Maverick said

Beelzebub whirled around and fired an energy blast, which Maverick blocked with a wall of ice. The ice melted away, as father and son glared at each other

"Ah, I'm outta here," Maverick said, "Got better things to do"

He walked over to the edge of the tower and jumped off, as Beelzebub sighed

"Your brother is a fool," he told Gloria

"Yeah, I could have told you that," she replied

"So, what are we gonna do now we're alive again?" Janice asked

"Kill Sparda's kids," Balthazar replied, "Hell, that's what I wanna do"

"And I think we will be able to succeed this time around," Gloria smiled

†††††††††††

"Dante, what the hell is going on?" Trish demanded, Ash and Caitlyn close to her

"We've got major trouble with a capital T," Dante replied

"That's what he used to say about Mom," Jenny whispered to her twin, who smirked

"Okay, so tell me," Trish said

"Remember Maverick? Well, he's gone and summoned forth the Goddess of Death, who I'm told can resurrect the dead, something she's already started on"

"Let me guess, all those bad guys we've defeated over the years are now back"

"Yep, that's right, which means all hell is gonna break loose"

"Dante, what's going on?" Vergil asked, bursting into the office

Lady, Lili, Nero, Celeste, Spencer, David and Michael were close behind him as Dante let out a groan and sat down at the desk

"James, you tell them, since you know all about it"

"He's a Linkin Beast," Vergil said

"Only half," James said, "That huge earthquake you felt earlier was the signal that the Goddess of Death has been summoned. That massive tower belongs to her"

"Simple, we kill the Goddess and send the tower back to wherever the hell it came from," Celeste said

"Won't be easy. The Goddess is very powerful. She is able to resurrect the dead"

"Which means Mundus, Balthazar, Beelzebub, Abigail and everyone else," Vergil said, "Who brought forth the Goddess?"

"Maverick," Dante answered, causing Vergil to swear

"That little twerp? I thought you killed him all those years ago"

"Guess not. Anyhow, we've got bigger problems at hand here, mainly the Goddess"

"We all take her on," Nero said, "All combined, we'll be able to defeat her"

"Keep dreaming," James said, "In order to weaken her, we have to take out those she's resurrected. She's already used a large amount of her power and she's just returned from the dead"

"Well, first off, we have to evacuate the civilians," Dante said, "Then the Goddess"

He got up from his desk and grabbed Alastor, Ebony and Ivory, before selecting Ifrit, Cerberus and Pandora, as Trish grabbed Sparda

"Okay then, Lady, can you stay here with the kids?" Trish asked

"Sure can"

"Alright, let's go kick some ass," Dante said

He kicked the office door open and stepped out into the night

†††††††††††

"So, how you feeling?" Maverick asked cautiously

"I am doing fine. Don't be concerned," a feminine self-important voice boomed

"Oh, I'm not concerned at all. Okay, so a little, because we've got to deal with the blood of Sparda. They're not easy to fight"

"Hm, the blood of Sparda. I'm sure I can handle them just fine"

"Well, that's always good to hear," Maverick said, "Good job bringing my dad and sister back from the dead. They're just what I needed right now"

"Then you are welcome," the Goddess replied

"Pfft. I hate them, so you didn't quite do me a favour there. Dad especially will be on my case and he would want to run the whole shebang"

"I can dispose of him then"

"Nah, I'll let one of the Spardas kill him. It'll be entertaining"

"You have served me well so far. I thank you for releasing me," the Goddess said

"Sure, not a problem," Maverick said, "So long as I get amnesty from you"

"I have no intention of killing the one who released me"

"Good. Glad we've got that out of the way. Now, back to the killing"

†††††††††††


	6. Despair, Beelzebub & Balthazar

†††††††††††

Demons were everywhere, slaughtering anyone in their path. Civilians were running all over the place, trying to get to safety, but were cut down in their numbers, blood splattering all over the road and building walls. A Goatling flew over a couple and raised its hands; ready to fire an energy blast, but a bullet to the forehead prevented that

"Alright then," Dante said, "Get the civilians out. Have a free-for-all killathon"

He drew Alastor and sliced down a Scarecrow, before slashing open a Blade, then leaping onto a building wall and pushing off to kill a Blood Goatling. Upon landing, Dante struck a Kyklops with the trademark Stinger move, sending the Kyklops flying back onto a group of Pride demons, crushing them to dust under its weight. Vergil sliced through the numerous Scarecrows with ease, as Tristan took on a Blitz demon, his reflexes faster than the demon itself and he was able to dispatch it with ease, before taking on a Hell Vanguard, then followed by an Orangguerra and a Sin Scissors at the same time

Dante killed a Cutlass demon, before seeing a massive pillar of flames appear atop the nearest skyscraper. Knowing it was a powerful demon; Dante sliced his way through the demons to reach the skyscraper, before racing up the stairs, killing Hell Sin demons along the way. He reached the top of the skyscraper, surveying the numerous bodies littering the roof, before seeing the cause of their deaths

"Long time, no see Despair," Dante grinned

"Dante. Long time, no pleasure whatsoever," Despair replied

"I like what you've done with the place, though I'm not too sure about the bodies"

"Death adds a touch of flair to things"

"Then my kicking your ass again will have a lot of flair"

Dante drew Alastor and charged at Despair, swinging his electric sword three times. Despair blocked all the blows, as Dante whirled around and was blocked, before twisting back and kicking Despair in the chest. He stumbled and lashed out with his swords, as Dante blocked and rolled under his blades. Whirling around, Despair struck him with her whips, leaving cuts on his face. Dante grinned and pushed off one sword, spinning around the other sword, before bringing Alastor down. Despair teleported out of the way and struck Dante in the back with a spear. Dante crashed against the door to the staircase, before whipping out Ebony and letting off several rounds. Despair deflected the bullets with his swords, as Dante lunged

Spreading his wings, Despair flew out of the way, kicking Alastor aside and teleporting before Dante, swinging both swords. Dante was lifted into the air, but flipped over and slammed Alastor into the ground, just missing Despair, who had started glowing, his wings stretched out to their full length

"Now where have I seen this one before?" Dante asked, "Oh yeah, that's right"

Withdrawing Cerberus, Dante wrapped one rod around Despair's ankle and yanked him out of the air, just as he unleashed his energy rainbow attack. Creating a shield of ice, Dante blocked most of the attack, before melting the shield and noting that most of the rooftop had been destroyed by the energy

"That adds a touch of flair"

Despair appeared out of nowhere and sent Dante flying across the rooftop. He landed on his feet, blocking Despair's next attack, as she wrapped a whip around his ankle and threw him into the air. Twisting his body, Dante blocked Despair's furious air attacks, before landing on his feet and summoning Ifrit

"Let's fight fire with fire"

†††††††††††

Vergil sliced a Scarecrow in half, before dodging a flying Assault and shooting it out of the air with a phantom spear, then decapitating a Frost demon. Kicking a Lust demon to the ground, Vergil stabbed it through the throat, before whirling around to slice open an upcoming Tartarussian. As it fell to the ground, Vergil looked up and noticed Beelzebub standing atop a nearby building. The godking watched as Vergil slaughtered the demons around him, before leaping off the building and landing on the road. Vergil noted that Beelzebub was now decked out in full body armour, a fancy cape billowing behind him, as he drew a longsword with feathered hilts and a red energy glow surrounding the blade

"Nice sword," Vergil said, killing a Fetish without looking

"Vergil, it sure has been a long time," Beelzebub said, stopping before him

"Nice as it is to see you alive and all, I don't think we're meant to sit down and have a chat over cookies and tea"

"No, that's true. A fight to the death it is"

"Knew you'd see it my way"

"So, how long has it been since we last fought?" Beelzebub asked

"Uh, I think nearly twenty five years," Vergil answered

"Humph, Jester's filled me in on quite a bit"

"That fool is alive?"

"Yes he is. It seems my son's finally done a good job"

"Maverick is your son?" Vergil asked after realization

"Unfortunately. He's not as disciplined as Gloria. Kids can be troublesome"

"I don't know. Mine's been pretty good all these years. Granted, there are those times when she has her moods, which she gets from her mother, not from me"

"Well, this conversation has gone on for quite too long," Beelzebub chuckled

"I was thinking somewhere along the same lines"

With a flick of his wrist, Vergil fired an energy beam from Yamato's blade, but Beelzebub sliced through the beam, before charging energy into his hand

"Let's see how long you last on your own against a godking!"

Beelzebub fired the energy blast, which Vergil flipped over, before flying at him. Vergil twisted his body, bringing Yamato around, but Beelzebub was faster, slamming into him and smashing through a nearby building. A phantom spear pierced Beelzebub's shoulder, as he kicked Vergil away. The half-demon landed on his feet, before dodging Beelzebub's Helm Breaker and swinging Yamato. Beelzebub dodged the blade, kicking Vergil in the chest, before swinging his sword, only for Vergil to summon the Hellebore and blocked the blow, kicking him in the stomach

Beelzebub leapt back from the dual swords, firing an energy blast that caught Vergil in the chest and launched him through the air. Vergil flipped over, landing on his feet and sliding along the road, creating a series of phantom spears and firing them. Beelzebub battered the spears aside as he flew at Vergil, collecting him and smashing through another building, this time going through the windows. Upon landing on the road, Vergil kicked Beelzebub off and got to his feet, before removing the glass shards from his body, then taking off his shredded coat and tossing it aside

"Now I'm motivated!"

†††††††††††

"Come on everyone, this way. Safe passage this way," Tristan called

The civilians he was herding headed in the direction of the harbour, where a ship was taking them to the mainland to get them away from the Goddess. Tristan was killing the demons that were too stupid to retreat, while watching over the civilians, before catching an energy-charged fist to the jaw. Shaking his head, Tristan got to his feet, grabbing Vengeance on the way and facing Balthazar

"I'm told you're the son of Dante. Correct?" Balthazar asked

"Yeah, I am. And I know who you are? A demonised chicken"

Tristan dodged the energy blast, chuckling to himself as he sheathed his sword

"You're gonna have to do better than that"

Tristan suddenly had to dive out of the way to avoid the larger energy blast, which annihilated a warehouse. He glared at Balthazar, who grinned and cracked his neck

"Was that better?"

Tristan fired twin lightning bolts, catching Balthazar in the chest and blasting him through the air. Balthazar got to his feet, anger etched on his face, as he summoned his twin swords, Jagget. Tristan drew Vengeance and placed the tip on the ground

"You really want to try and take me on in a sword fight?"

"I was able to hold my own against your father and his siblings"

"Only because you had Sparda. What have you got now? Toothpicks?"

Tristan dodged Balthazar's angry slash, before whirling around him and jumping out of the way of the spiked blades, while chuckling to himself, deflecting the blows every now and again, angering Balthazar even further, until the demon caught on

"No, this won't do. I need to be calm in order to kill you"

Tristan whirled his hand in the air and did a low fancy bow

"Then come and let's duel. Let's see how long you can remain calm"

"You're a cocky one, aren't you?"

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Balthy"

With a growl, Balthazar lunged at Tristan

†††††††††††


	7. Lili vs Maverick

†††††††††††

"Okay, so why am I out here?" Lili asked herself, "Well, Aunty Trish did say that a powerful demon was out here"

She was in the forest, entering the Viper's Den, which was the same place that Jenny had defeated Echidna three years ago. Keeping a hand nearby Yitoma, Lili surveyed the thick trees, trying to find the demon. However, it found her first, firing a rocket at her. Drawing Yitoma, Lili sliced the rocket in half, as it flew past and destroyed two trees. Hunter then appeared before Lili, sitting on a large tree branch

"Ah, the daughter of Vergil shows herself. I've been waiting for you"

"That's good to know, but you're not getting my number, sorry"

"That's a shame. We could get along so well"

Yitoma began glowing bright blue, as Lili fired three bands of energy, slicing through the air towards Hunter. He leapt out of the way, his hands transforming into swords, causing Lili's eyebrows to rise in surprise. He whirled around, slashing at her, but she blocked his blows, countering with her own attacks and forcing Hunter to back up. He pushed her back and flew into the air, his right arm transforming into a chaingun

"Oh shit," Lili said

She dived out of the way of bullets, running up a tree and leaping through the air towards Hunter. The chaingun transformed into a rocket launcher, shooting a rocket straight at her. Lili teleported to behind Hunter and ran him through from behind. Hunter cried out and elbowed her in the face, before falling to the ground on his hands and knees, clutching at his wound, as Lili landed on her feet and sheathed Yitoma

"You're good, I'll give you that," Hunter said, "But by the end of this-"

A spear made out of ice suddenly appeared through his head, killing him instantly. Hunter's body dissolved into a ball of light, which Lili absorbed into her body, creating a suit of armour that was sleek and streamlined. Absorbing the armour, Lili looked around for the offender, but instead, withdrew her Frost Pistols and fired bullets in every direction. Yitoma began glowing purple, as Lili drew her sword and spun in 360 degrees, the energy slicing down every tree for about fifteen metres in every direction. Laughter was heard, as Lili sheathed her sword

"Impressive. I've always thought destruction was constructive"

Lili faced the direction of the voice, seeing Maverick standing before her

"Who the hell are you?" she asked

"The name's Maverick. I'm the son of Beelzebub, if you will"

"Fascinating. I'm outta here"

Lili turned away, but Maverick was suddenly before her in an instant

"Oh come on, we were just getting started. You know my name. What's yours?"

"Lili"

"Full name?"

"Screw you"

"Okay, Lili, I can work with that. Hey, you're Vergil's daughter, aren't you?"

Lili growled and drew her sword, slashing faster than the eye could blink. However, she was surprised to see that a sword made of ice had blocked her move. Maverick looked her sword up and down, before grinning at her

"Nice craftsmanship"

"My father made it for me"

Lili kicked him in the groin and sliced him across the chest. Maverick stumbled back, clutching his groin and laughing, despite wheezing in pain. The wound on his chest slowly healed, as he rose to his full height, now over the pain in his groin

"You've got a fight in you. I like that"

Lili rolled her eyes and slashed at him again, but he blocked and whirled around, slicing at her abdomen. She blocked and kicked at his head, but he ducked and swept his leg. Jumping over the move, Lili sliced at his face, but he turned away from the blade, before catching her in the chest with a beam of ice, blasting her across the clearing. Lili groaned and flipped onto her feet, seeing Maverick standing on a platform of ice in the air, grinning down at her

"You're feisty. Gotta love that. Think I'll spare you, sweetheart. Consider yourself lucky that I'm having a good day"

Maverick laughed and took off through the air, aided by his manipulation of the air. Growling, Lili summoned the Hunter armour, creating a pair of wings and taking off after him, flying back towards the city. Maverick flew into a large, partly unfinished building, as Lili created a rocket launcher with the armour and fired. Maverick froze the rocket and dodged it as it wobbled past and crashed without exploding. He turned back and created a sword just in time to block Lili's slash

"Whoa, babe!"

Lili kicked him in the chest and landed inside the building, the armour melting back into her body. Maverick grinned and lunged at her, slashing with his ice sword. Lili swung Yitoma, slicing the sword in half, before stabbing at his chest, but was blocked by two ice daggers. Breaking away, Maverick spun and slashed at her head, but she stepped back, chopping at him. Maverick blocked and kicked, but Lili dodged it, breaking away from his daggers and slashing again, before whirling around and slicing at his throat. Maverick blocked her arm with his, before grabbing her wrist and twisting downwards, then kneeing her in the stomach, before sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Yitoma fell from her hand, as Maverick stood over her

"Mm, now this is something I could get used to," he grinned

"Don't worry, it won't last long," Lili growled, rearing up and punching him in the groin

"Why are you always hitting me there?" Maverick groaned, kneeling over, "That's just not cricket. They're very important to me"

"Good. Let's see how long you last without them"

"Oh no, crazy woman, get away from me"

Maverick rolled away from Yitoma and got to his feet, dodging the blade and grabbing her arm as she brought it back for another slash. Lili swung her other fist, but Maverick smacked it aside, before pressing his lips to hers. The kiss didn't last long, as he quickly broke away and stepped back from the blade, laughing as she growled in rage and lunged at him, slashing with her sword

"Come on, you so loved that," Maverick said, blocking her moves

Lili slashed at his head, before turning and kicking him in the chest. Maverick rolled back onto his feet, blocking her next move with a sword made out of ice. Lili shattered the sword and stabbed, but he batted the blade aside and unleashed a blast of tiny ice shards. Lili spun Yitoma around before her like a shield, deflecting most of the shards, before impaling Maverick with two phantom swords

"Wow, never saw them coming," he muttered, wrenching them out

Lili smashed the phantom swords apart with Yitoma, before channelling her demonic energy into the blade and flicking her wrist. A series of crisscrossing energy slashes shot out from the blade, launching at Maverick. His eyes widened in surprised and he created a large barrier of ice, which absorbed most of the attack. He sighed, as Lili came smashing through the barrier and kicked him out of the building

Creating a platform of ice, Maverick flew back at Lili, blocking her slash with his boot and flipping over, kicking her in the face. She slid along the ground, before getting to her feet and firing a series of phantom swords. Maverick created two ice daggers and smashed the swords as they came, before slamming his fist into the ground, creating a trail of spikes that arced towards the half-demon. She stabbed Yitoma into the ground, channelling her energy and destroying the spikes

"Wow, you're definitely my kind of woman," Maverick said

"You don't even have a kind," Lili said, "You've never had that chance"

"Guess the same goes for you, Lili. You're still a, uh, yeah, a uh virgin"

Maverick narrowly avoided the five phantom swords fired at him, before getting Yitoma rammed straight through his chest, as Lili's eyes flashed red

"So? What's it to you?"

Despite being impaled by a furious half-demon, Maverick chuckled

"I can help fix that. A night with me and you'll never be the same again"

"I would rather kill myself than wallow with pathetic beings like yourself"

"Come on, girl, don't go hurting my feelings. I don't hurt yours"

Lili removed Yitoma, then for good measure, kicked Maverick in the groin with as much strength as she could muster. Maverick collapsed on the ground, wheezing in pain and muttering curses, as Lili sheathed her sword

"I should kill you, just for fun. But I'm gonna spare you. Consider yourself lucky that I'm in a good mood"

Lili then dived out of the building, as Maverick groaned got to his feet

"Damn, I like that girl"

†††††††††††


	8. Credo and Abigail

Sorry about the wait, but here is the next chapter, featuring two more battles. Enjoy

†††††††††††

Nero twisted the throttle on the Red Queen, engulfing the blade in flames, before doing the Ex-Streak move, slicing up ten demons in three swift moves. Kyrie raised her glowing hands and fired three energy blasts that tore apart a few Scarecrows, as Michael grabbed a Cutlass with his Devil Bringer and slammed the demon into the ground. Cameron dodged a Goatling's attack and sliced it across the back, before striking a Plasma demon with a telekinetic blast. Several Puias dived down, firing their feathers, but Kyrie took them out with magic, as Nero tore into the force of demons alongside his sons. The battle was taking place at the Order Headquarters, while the Order knights were fighting against demons in the courtyard. An Alto Angelo dived at Nero, swinging its sword, but he punched it with a massive version of the Devil Bringer, slamming it to the ground and squashing several Marionettes

"Nobody touch Nero!" boomed a familiar voice, "He's mine!"

The demons parted like the Red Sea, as a man strode past them, holding himself tall

"Credo?" Kyrie gasped

"Is this your brother, Mom?" Cameron asked

"Nero, I believe you and I have some business to deal with," Credo said

"Credo, it's been a long time," Nero said, "So, fancy seeing you here"

"Yes, the Goddess does not want you alive any longer"

"And why would the Goddess want that?"

"Because she believes you will attempt to stop her from raising Mephisto"

"Mephisto? That guy is a myth. I don't think he even exists"

"Mephisto exists, Nero and the Goddess is going to bring him forth"

Credo drew the White Queen and swung it at Nero, who ducked and jumped back. The demons took this as their cue to continue fighting and rushed forth. Bianco Angelos appeared from numerous portals, flying down to attack. Kyrie and Cameron combined their abilities to create a shield that knocked the Biancos out of the air, rendering them useless, as Michael revved up the Blue Queen and unleashed a barrage of blue flamed attacks, ripping into the demon force, aided by his bother

Nero deflected Credo's strike and went to run him through, but Credo dodged the blade, slamming the pommel onto his back. Nero did a forward dive, rolling onto his feet and whirling around to block Credo's slash. Seeing an opening, Nero grabbed Credo with his Devil Bringer and leapt through the air, slamming him into the ground. Credo groaned in pain as he got to his feet, slicing at Nero's face. The half-demon twisted away from the blade, slicing at Credo's unprotected back. However, Credo smacked the blade aside with his arm, causing Nero to frown in confusion

"Not long after I came back from the beyond, Abigail made me an interesting offer," Credo said, "I serve her, become her new knight and I have the power to kill you"

Credo grinned as his body glowed and he transformed into the One-Winged Dark Knight. Nero grinned as he placed the tip of the Red Queen on the ground and twisted the handle, coating the blade in flames

"I hope you know, I killed one of your kind years ago"

"But it never had my abilities," Credo said

"No, that's true"

Credo spread his one wing and flew at Nero, slashing with his sword. Nero backed up, blocking and dodging the blows, before lashing out with his Devil Bringer. Credo blocked the attempt with his shield, slamming it against Nero's chest and sending him flying. Nero drew the Blue Rose and fired away, but Credo deflected or flew around the bullets, before diving at Nero and slamming him into the ground. The Devil Bringer turned into the Light Bringer, as Nero punched Credo in the jaw, throwing him aside. The pair got to their feet, as Nero slammed his Devil Bringer into Credo's chest, the pair going up into the air. Gripping him with his human hand, Nero then began pummelling Credo in the face with his Devil Bringer, then throwing him to the ground and landing on his chest, before jumping off. At that moment, Nero saw someone floating above his family

"Kyrie, watch out!" he cried

Sanctus drew back his fist, an image of the False Saviour appearing behind him. The Saviour's right fist solidified, as Sanctus swung it towards Kyrie, slamming it into the ground and destroying the raised arena. Dust was all that Nero could see, as Credo took his chance and slashed Nero across the chest, before impaling

"Family. See what they do to you? They make you weak"

Nero's eyes began to glow fiery red, as he gritted his teeth and transformed, his energy flux blasting Credo through the air

"They can also make you strong, so strong, you're nearly invincible," Nero growled

He picked up the Red Queen, covering the blade in hellfire

"Now, we end this"

†††††††††††

"Where did all these demons come from?" David asked

"From Hell. Where else?" Celeste asked, slicing open a Jomothumsira

"I tell you what, I am getting way too old for this"

"I told you that you could stay home, but you didn't listen to me"

Celeste was wielding Nelo Angelo's former sword, which she had renamed Freyja. Vergil had given it to her following the fight against Jester three years earlier and she quite liked the sword, as it enabled her to fire energy blasts from her hands. Cutting down a lunging Scarecrow, Celeste then impaled an Arachne, before spinning around and using the demon's body as a slingshot, taking down several demons at once with its body. Charging up the energy in the blade, Celeste swung Freyja, letting loose a wave of energy that sliced through several Sloth demons. At the same time, a large purple spear came hurtling towards her. She knocked it aside, before turning to the owner of the spear, as David shot down the demons around him, then growing an incendiary grenade

"Janice, it's been a long time," Celeste said

"Nothing compared to being in the Nexus," Janice replied

A Scarecrow lunged at Celeste, but she blocked and batted it aside. However, purple energy appeared around the Scarecrow's head, looking like a mask, as its eyes turned bright red. It lunged again, as Celeste sliced at its unprotected stomach. She expected to slice right through the demon, but the blade simply bounced off

"Huh?"

"You think you're the only ones with the Devil Trigger ability?" Janice asked

She grinned, as white energy covered her body and she transformed, becoming Abigail. Grinning, she spread her wings and flew at Celeste. She swung her sword, but Abigail was faster, tackling Celeste around the waist and flying up towards a building, smashing through the windows

"Ah, this is not gonna be fun," David muttered, seeing the numerous demons coming towards him, "But this will be," he grinned, grabbing his mine launcher

Celeste broke away from Abigail and swung Frejya, but Abigail blocked the blow, before kicking Celeste in the stomach. Hurtling towards the road, Celeste flipped over and landed on her feet, as Abigail slammed into her. Transforming, Celeste blasted her away with the energy flux, before firing a wave of energy from Freyja. Abigail leapt over the energy, shooting a wave of icicles. Celeste smashed the icicles and leapt at Abigail, swinging her sword. Catching the blade, Abigail sunk her fist into Celeste's stomach, then threw her across the street, smashing through a building door. Celeste shook the glass out of her hair and got up, before stepping outside

Deflecting the spear, she then leapt over the energy beam, as Abigail closed her mouth and flew at Celeste, catching her and going straight through the building, out into the sky. Spreading her wings, Celeste struck Abigail, then flew back, charging up the energy in Freyja, before firing three energy blasts from her hands. Abigail smacked them aside and gathered energy into her own hands, but Celeste was faster, slashing her across the chest with a charged-up Freyja, drawing blood

"Either this sword is powerful or you just got weaker in Hell," Celeste said

Abigail struck her with three fast, powerful blows that sent her reeling

"Okay, I take back the statement about you being weaker"

"You will pay for my death with yours"

"You do realize I had nothing to do with your death. I wasn't there. Okay, so I was dying because of you, which made my brothers kick your ass so hard, you couldn't sit down in Hell for years"

Dodging the shards of ice, Celeste flew at Abigail, kicking her in the stomach, then bringing Freyja down overhead. Abigail caught the blade, then grabbed Celeste by the throat, before opening her mouth and firing an energy blast at close range

†††††††††††


	9. The Shopping Mall

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The shopping mall was overrun by demons, civilians and dead bodies. Parker and Amber Kennedy were the only stand there, with Parker firing away at the demons that came near, while Amber supplied him with weapons and ammo. However, the demonic horde was starting to get to be too much for the siblings

"Fall back, sis, fall back," Parker called

Amber grabbed the supplies bag, whipping out a Glock-18 and tearing a Scarecrow apart with the small onslaught of bullets. Parker had a pump-action shotgun, blasting the Hell Sin demons apart as they came at him

"Okay, I think this wasn't exactly a good idea," Amber said

"You know what? You're right. We've got to go now"

CRASH!

The skylight shattered, as Jenny came flying down into the mall. Whipping out Rebellion, she sliced a Marionette in half, before whirling around a Goatling and slicing it across the back. A fireball shot through the air, scorching a pair of Kyklops, as James drew Envy and sliced through a Sin Scythe, then impaling a Gbumsira through the air. It whined as it died, as James and Jenny took on the demons together

"So, you've arrived in the nick of time," Parker said, "You Spardas have a habit of doing that. Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with it"

"Is there a point to this?" Jenny asked, slicing apart a Fetish

James dodged the energy blast from the Abyss Goat and retaliated with a streak of flames that incinerated the demon. Cocking his shotgun, Parker placed the weapon on his shoulder and fired, decapitating the Scarecrow sneaking up behind him

"No, none at all really. Just making an observation," he replied

Summoning Kraken, Jenny hooked about ten Scarecrows at once and began throwing them around the food court, smashing up anything that was left standing. She then discarded the dead Scarecrows and threw the two large daggers straight through the chest of a Nobody and tossed it into the ceiling, before leaping up after it and slicing it in half. A Blitz demon appeared, bounding around the court with lightning speed. Using his demon abilities, James followed it around, before striking with a fiery Envy when the Blitz stopped. It growled and uppercutted him, but he flipped over and brought the sword down, missing when the Blitz took off

"Isn't this a little interesting party?" came a voice

All four stopped their fighting and whirled around as Jester walked towards them, a large grin on his face as he twirled his sceptre

"Jenny, it's been a while," he grinned

"Okay, everyone step back, he's mine," Jenny growled

"You seem to taking this one personally," James said

"This was the freak who kidnapped and raised my brother to be evil!"

"Okay, fair point. I'll hold the fort"

The Blitz lunged at James, who turned and threw a large fireball into its face. The Blitz shot away and fired a beam of gold electricity, forcing the half-demon to leap out of the way, as Jenny headed towards Jester

"Better be careful, Jen, don't want you to get hurt now," Jester grinned

Jenny swung Rebellion, but Jester deflected the blade, before grabbing her wrist and kicking Rebellion out of her hand. It impaled the ceiling, as Jester punched Jenny, before twisting and throwing her through a restaurant and into the kitchen. He headed over, as twin lightning bolts caught him in the chest and lifted him through the air

"Oooh, smokin'!" he chuckled

Parker aimed his shotgun and fired, but Jester leapt out of the way, before striking him and his sister with an energy barrier, preventing them from getting in. meanwhile, James had managed to slay the Blitz and turned towards Jester, only to get grabbed by the face and pile-driven into the ground, knocking him out

"You seemed to have gained some power," Jenny noted, "You managed to take out a half-Linkin with one hit"

"Then again, these sure do come in handy," Jester said, looking at his rock-covered gauntlets, the same pair he used to break Vergil's back three years earlier

Jenny struck with twin lightning bolts, but Jester deflected with his gauntlets, before teleporting before her and sinking his fist into her stomach. He then drove his knee up into her chest, before swinging his fist again. Blood struck the ground, as Jenny's eyes blazed red. She wiped the blood from her mouth and summoned Gilgamesh. Jester swung his fist, but Jenny countered with a Dragon's Uppercut, launching Jester into the air, then slammed him to the ground with a powerful kick

Jester got to his feet, as Jenny came in with a roundhouse kick. He ducked and went to strike, but ended up scoring about ten kicks to his chest, throwing him across the court. Grabbing her handguns, Jenny fired away at Jester, as he jumped around on the walls to avoid the bullets, before creating several spheres of energy and launching them. Jenny leapt out of the way, using her Trickster abilities to avoid them, as Jester came flying down at her. She teleported behind him and kicked him in the back, sending him crashing to the ground. Jester groaned as he got up, when Jenny grabbed him and ran him towards the wall. Jester ran up the wall and flipped over, but Jenny had expected this, running up the wall as well and spinning around, kicking Jester in the face. At the same time, a jet of flames flew his way, courtesy of James

Jester deflected the flames with his gauntlets, causing the sprinklers in the mall to suddenly go off, instantly drenching the entire area in cold water

"Ah, this should be fun now," Jester said as he eyed Jenny and James

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Trish tore through the demons with exceptional ease, aided by her lightning abilities and Sparda. Soon, her battle had taken her to a church, where the demons weren't entering due to hallowed grounds. Summoning the Spiral rifle, Trish entered the church, able to do so due to her power, and headed to the highest steeple so she could sniper the demons below. She had managed to kill several demons, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and thrown down into the pews

"How easy was that to sneak up on you? Too easy if you ask me"

Trish growled under her breath and got up to face Gloria as she dropped down

"Call it a lucky break," she replied, drawing Sparda

"You know, I'm surprised you can actually enter hallowed grounds"

"Having a lot of power sure helps. Goes for you right?"

"Well, I'm only half-demon, so whether I'm powerful or not doesn't matter"

"Why are we having this conversation?"

"You raise a good point"

Drawing a double-bladed knife from her boot, Gloria got into a stance, as Trish put on a pair of sunglasses and also got into a stance, both demons waiting for the other to make the first move. In the end, Gloria made the first move, leaping at Trish and swinging her dagger. Dodging the blade, Trish swung towards her unprotected flank, but Gloria was faster, twisting her body and blocking the blow. However, she didn't see Trish's knee until too late, as it slammed into her ribs. Groaning and stumbling back, Gloria caught Trish with a wave of energy and tossed her across the church. Two large golden blasts of lightning was Trish's reply, slamming Gloria along the ground and ripping up the tiles

"Damn it and this was my favourite top," Gloria growled, checking her back

"I'm sure you could always getting Daddy to buy you another one," Trish said

Gloria growled and fired another energy blast, but Trish countered with a lightning bolt, causing a small explosion, as the two demons leapt at each other through the smoke

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"All the fighting. I can feel it. It's everywhere," said the Goddess

"I didn't know you could do that," Maverick replied

"The energy involved. It's so intense. How can you not feel it?"

"Maybe because I'm not as old as you are"

"You have quite a mouth on you, Maverick. However, it'd be best if you watch your tongue, especially in the presence of a goddess"

"You know, my father told me kinda the same thing," Maverick said, "Considering he's a godking and all. You know what, I'm still around, so best of luck"

The Goddess chuckled as she ran a hand through his hair

"You are an interesting servants. I used to get so bored with the previous ones"

"Well, lucky for you, I'm bound to keep you entertained, until such a time when I am killed. And hey, how's your powers coming along?"

"They are not at their peak yet. It's not time to raise Mephisto. Maybe a day will give me enough time to recharge"

"And hopefully in that time, Dante and his family tree gets wiped out"

"I can smell the scent of Sparda on you. I just realised that"

"Vergil's little girl. Quite the spunk if you ask me"

"Next time you see her, kill her, don't make out with her"

"You got it"

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	10. Dante vs Despair Embodied

Here is the conclusion to the battle between Dante and Despair Embodied. I hope you enjoy it. And happy new years to all

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Dante blocked a blow with the chain of Cerberus, before wrapping one rod around Despair's arm, then wrapping another rod around his throat, before twisting his body and pulling hard, throwing Despair Embodied across the rooftop. All in the space of about a second or two. Despair twisted his body, landing on his feet, as Dante exchanged Cerberus for Lucifer and began pelting swords. Sixteen swords appeared in the air and rocketed towards Despair, who raised his swords and stopped them. Landing on his feet, Dante thrust forth his hand, shooting another six swords. Despair dodged those, as Dante clapped his hands, exploding the impaled swords. Twin whips lashed out from the smoke, as Dante Dashed to his right, switching Lucifer for Alastor and then leaping through the air

Despair teleported out of the way, as his body began to glow. Knowing what was coming next, Dante began to do a series of flips and spins to avoid the rain of sharp energy that came pelting down. Chunks of the rooftop was destroyed by the rain, as Dante landed on the edge of the building, just managing to block Despair's exceptionally fast strikes. They continued duelling as the rooftop fell apart, leaving barely any room for the pair to fight upon. Dante ducked a head slice and slashed at Despair's legs, but the demon leapt over the blade, as Dante spun and slammed Alastor's blade into his torso. The blow knocked Despair off the building and sent him plummeting towards the road sixty stories below. Sheathing Alastor, Dante then leapt off the building after him, as Despair fired spears of energy. Dante spun around, avoiding the spears, as the windows behind him shattered, the glass cascading around him like deadly rain

Drawing Ebony and Ivory, Dante then began spinning around, performing the Rain Dance move. A vortex of bullets shot towards Despair, as he crossed his swords over his chest, the bullets bouncing off and shattering the windows around them. Once the shooting stopped, Despair drew his swords away, only to get Dante's boots slammed into his chest. Dante then flipped over, drawing Alastor and slamming it against Despair's swords. The pair continued their fighting, even as they hurtled towards the road below. Lightning arced from Alastor, as Despair blocked every blow, before spreading his wings and flying away just before he could hit the road at breakneck speeds. Following suit, Dante Devil Triggered and just narrowly avoided the road, flying up to engage Despair Embodied in combat as they flew to the roof of another building. Dante channelled his demonic energy and shot towards Despair and slammed into him, the force carrying them through the windows, across the room and out of the other side of the building, as glass fluttered around him

Despair managed to kick Dante in the stomach, as the half-demon stabbed Alastor into the side of the building and swung around to stand upon the blade. Despair was standing on the side of the building about seven feet above him, using his swords to hold himself to the building, as Dante resumed his human form

"Gotta tell you, you put up a hell of fight," Dante grinned, "I haven't really had a good fight like this since Lucifer all those years ago"

"You will not live past this," Despair said

"Never one for small talk, were you?"

"You will die. The Goddess commands it"

"If the Goddess knew me, she'll know just how hard it is to kill me"

Despair chuckled, which sounded like heavy chains clanging together

"You are no match for the Goddess. If you best me here in combat, you will fall before her might and power"

"The Despair Embodied being a servant to someone? Never thought I'd live to see that day. So, how is the Goddess of Death anyway? I'm meaning to chat to her"

"Let's see if you will get that chance"

Despair removed his swords, folded his wings and dived. Dropping off the blade, Dante grabbed onto the hilt and swung himself around, removing Alastor from the wall and flying up towards Despair, his boots digging deep into the demon's stomach. He swung Alastor, but a whip wrapped around his arm, as a second whip ensnared him around the neck. Grabbing Ivory, Dante unleashed a whole magazine of bullets into Despair's face. The demon howled in pain, spinning around and throwing Dante into the air. Dante flew into the sky and spread his arms out like he was enjoying the sunlight, before twisting his body and diving towards Despair

As the pair slammed into each other, Dante Devil Triggered again, the energy flux slicing into Despair's body, but the wounds healed over instantly. The pair smashed through a rooftop and continued plummeting through the numerous floors, finally coming to a stop on the ground level. However, the force of their crashing resulted in the building being weakened and slowly crumbling. Dante slammed into the front counter after getting kicked, but got to his feet, before using the power of Alastor to fire several lightning bolts. Despair dodged the electricity, before flying at Dante. Alastor flew around Dante like a bladed shield, slicing Despair, but the demon ignored the pain as he sliced at Dante's head. Alastor was in his hand and blocking the blow in a flash, as Despair's body began glowing

Dante got up from the small crater he had created in the street, shrugging bitumen off his shoulders and wings, as Despair came flying out of the building, the front doors having been smashed off when Dante was blasted outside. The building started to crumble completely, as a large cloud of dust blew up around the pair. A streak of icicles raced along the road towards Despair, as she flew out of the way and snapped her whips. Leaping out of the way, Dante spread his wings, before lashing out with Cerberus, ice forming in the air, before falling towards Despair. She shattered the ice with her whips, as Dante grinned and summoned Pandora. He created the battery air tank and sat inside, before pressing the trigger. Twelve rockets were fired from Pandora, screaming towards Despair. Becoming the male form, Despair batted the rockets aside with his swords, blowing up the buildings in the air and causing them to come crashing down around them, billowing smoke into the air

Dante landed in his human form and tossed the briefcase Pandora onto the ground, before opening it up. Bright light shined from the briefcase, as Despair landed and folded his wings. Dante frowned, seeing that Pandora was having no effect

"That may work on Abigail, but it won't work on me," Despair growled

"No, you're right there"

Kicking Pandora close, Dante then flipped the briefcase into his hand and rested it on his shoulder, giving Despair a cocky grin. Spreading his wings, Despair flew at Dante, not expecting the next move. A gattling gun formed out of the briefcase, riddling Despair's body with hundreds of bullets. He staggered in his flight, passing over Dante as the shooting continued. Crashing against a partially destroyed car, Despair Embodied went to get up, but was prevented by Dante's boot pinning him by his throat. Alastor was pointed at his face, the electricity crackling more than usual

"Tell me, what does the Goddess of Death have in store for us?" Dante asked

"You know of the demon Mephisto?" Despair asked

"Well, there is those demons called Mephisto"

"No, I am talking about the true Mephisto, the one called Mephistopheles**"**

"Oh him, that guy…no idea who he is"

"He is the ruler of the entire underworld. Everyone submits to him, even the most powerful of gods, including Lucifer and Abigail. He grew too greedy and was slain by his former compatriots, including your grandfather, Graxtius"

"Well, that was probably a good thing then," Dante said with a wry grin

"It is said that Mephistopheles will rise again. I believe the Goddess is simply trying to hurry up his rising. He rises, everything burns"

"Sounds like a guy I have to stop then"

The blade of Alastor was glowing bright blue from all the electricity it had accumulated while the pair was talking. Once the energy had been built up, Dante rammed the blade through Despair's head, then released the energy. Despair fell slump, as his body dissolved and became a small ball of light, before surrounding Dante and glowing brighter. Armour made of similar material to Despair's skin appeared on Dante's chest, thighs, legs, shoulders and forearms. Ghostly wings similar to Despair's appeared on his back, as ghostly horns appeared. A bright red light in the shape of a heart appeared on the chest. Dante utilised the power of the new weapon, discovering he had a range of powers similar to that of Despair's

Absorbing the Heart of Despair Embodied into himself, Dante sheathed Alastor and headed off towards the Goddess's tower

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"Dammit, Despair Embodied has fallen," the Goddess growled in anger

"Couldn't be helped," Maverick offered, "He did fight Dante"

"I can only hope that my powers reach their peak before he arrives"

"Don't worry, I'll go and hold him off them"

Maverick transformed into his demon form, looking similar to a Frost demon, before flying away from the pinnacle of the tower, heading in Dante's direction

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	11. Vergil vs Beelzebub

**Okay, here is the battle between Vergil and Beelzebub. There is a move in here called "Blitz Bomb" that was created, not by me, but by fusion90XXXX, so I give him credit for creating the move and lending it to me. And now, let's see how this battle goes. I hope you enjoy it**

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Swerving to avoid the car, Vergil gunned the engine and roared past the road train, before swerving back towards Beelzebub and striking out with Yamato. Beelzebub blocked the blow and swerved away to avoid the bus, then swerved back in, thrusting with his sword. Slamming on the brake, Vergil dodged the blade as Beelzebub roared past, taking the lead. During their previous battle, two biker demons had rode in between, so Vergil and Beelzebub killed the demons, as the godking took one of their bikes and rode off, forcing Vergil to give chase and now they were on the freeway

Popping the motorcycle onto its rear wheel, Vergil rode the vehicle over a fleeing car, landing beside Beelzebub and slashing Yamato across his upper arm. In response, Vergil was slammed against another fleeing car by a blast of energy. The motorcycle went under the car, causing it to spin out of control. Vergil, on the other hand, soared through the air and landed on the front of Beelzebub's motorcycle, before summoning Beowulf and drawing back his fist, at the same time Beelzebub squeezed the brake

Vergil flew off the bike, rolling onto his feet and ignoring the new injuries, as Beelzebub roared at him. At the last minute, Vergil stepped onto the front wheel and performed a kicking backflip that knocked Beelzebub off the bike. Landing on his feet, Beelzebub did a kick at Vergil's head, but the half-demon blocked and did a spinning axe kick. Catching his foot in his hands, Beelzebub then threw Vergil over his shoulder, smashing through the road and creating a massive hold. Vergil fell through, grabbing Beelzebub by the ankle and pulling him in. The pair landed on a subway platform, as Beelzebub summoned his sword and swung

Dodging the sword, Vergil slammed a Beowulf fist into Beelzebub's ribs. The godking grunted as he brought his knee up towards Vergil, but he blocked the blow, before stepping back and drawing Yamato in one swift and smooth arc. Deflecting the blade, Beelzebub brought his sword down towards Vergil's face. At the last second, Vergil twisted his body, as the blade sliced past. He then brought Yamato forth in a thrusting move, as Beelzebub spun around the sword and elbowed him in the back

Vergil stumbled forth into a roll, getting some distance and whirling around, as the subway train arrived. It came to a stop, as the doors opened and Beelzebub lunged at Vergil. They flew into the train, as the doors closed and it continued on

Driving his elbow into Beelzebub's face, Vergil managed to create enough space in order to get his boot in. he kicked Beelzebub against the opposite wall and swiftly got to his feet, changing his armour from Beowulf to Blitz. Beelzebub swung his sword, but Vergil blocked his arm and swung him in the jaw, then turned and delivered five swift kicks to his chest. Beelzebub rolled back onto his feet, blocking Vergil's next kick with his sword. Six phantom spears appeared, surrounded by electricity, as Vergil launched them at once. Beelzebub shattered each one, as Vergil leapt in again

Beelzebub sent him flying across the train with a quick blast of energy, then moved in to attack while Vergil was down. However, Vergil was faster than he expected, whirling around, his left gauntlet glowing with a large amount of gold energy. He slammed his fist into Beelzebub's chest, discharging the energy. Beelzebub soared through the air, smashing through one carriage door and into the other. He got to his feet, seeing that Yamato was glowing bright purple

With two flicks of his wrist, Vergil created energy in the form of an 'X'. It rocketed towards Beelzebub, the tips of the 'X' slicing through the walls of the carriage. The energy slammed into Beelzebub, knocking him back while also tearing the carriage to shreds. Vergil leapt across to the destroyed carriage and sliced Yamato through the locks, disengaging the previous carriage and turning back to Beelzebub

"Nice move. Didn't expect that one," the godking said, getting up

"Sure, cause next time, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do next," Vergil said

He slashed with Yamato, but Beelzebub caught the blade and stabbed with his own sword. Vergil grabbed the blade and two glared at each other, trying to overcome each other. Beelzebub kicked, but Vergil brought his knee up to block the blow, although it did cause him some pain. Taking quick advantage, Vergil pulled Beelzebub's sword towards him, then slammed his fist into Beelzebub's face. The godking reeled back, before ducking under Yamato and shooting a blast of energy into Vergil's stomach

Vergil responded by summoning Hellebore and swinging it hard, generating a vast amount of heat that made Beelzebub suddenly sweat inside his armour. He ignored the heat as he backed up to avoid the two deadly blades. Flames scorched the ceiling, as Beelzebub shot a blast of telekinesis, knocking Vergil out of the train

The half-demon teleported back inside, kicking Beelzebub in the chest and swinging his swords. Beelzebub blocked and deflected each blow, before shoving hard against Hellebore and deflecting Yamato, then delivering an energised kick to Vergil's midsection. He groaned in pain, as Beelzebub grabbed him by the throat and spun around, throwing Vergil upwards, then slashing with his sword. Energy had been stored into the blade and was now unleashed, blasting Vergil through the train and the thick concrete and road. He leapt up after him, landing on the road, as cars and trucks swerved around the pair. Vergil was trying to get to his feet, but Beelzebub kicked him further along the road

"Ah, Vergil, you have put up quite a fight," Beelzebub said, "But now I think it's time this little game comes to an end"

"You're correct there," Vergil said, getting up

He stabbed the tip of Hellebore into the ground, creating a large tongue of flames that lunged at Beelzebub. He protected himself with a cocoon of telekinetic energy. As the flames died down, Beelzebub turned the cocoon into a projectile, blasting Vergil along through the ground. He got up and performed the 'X' move again, which Beelzebub avoided, before teleporting close and unleashing with a series of rapid and deadly slashes. Beelzebub blocked or avoided them, before slashing Vergil across the stomach with his sword. As Vergil groaned in pain, Beelzebub sliced him across the chest, before kicking him down

Vergil rolled away and flipped onto his feet, Blitz Armour now reengaged. His right gauntlet began charging up with electrical energy, as Beelzebub lunged at him. The electricity turned a deadly red, as Vergil dodged the sword and rammed his fist into Beelzebub's solar plexus. The result was enormous. An explosion went off from contact, destroying a large section of the road and flipping any nearby vehicles through the air. Vergil landed on his feet, new cuts added to his body, as Beelzebub got to his feet, a large scorch mark on his chest plate. His helmet had been blown off in the explosion, revealing his face for the first time. He had a reptilian face, with short spikes growing back over his head like small dreadlocks

"A face only a mother could love," Vergil said

Beelzebub responded with a blast of energy, which Vergil leapt over. However, the godking met him in the air and they continued their fight, exchanging blows and blades whilst still in mid-air. They parted and landed on the ground, as Beelzebub flew at Vergil again. This time, Vergil ducked under the blade and leapt up with a kick, like he was booting a football; that launched Beelzebub back into the air. Leaping after him, Vergil grinned and delivered a right hook, then a left kick, before finishing off with a right hammer drop that smacked Beelzebub back to the road

Landing, Vergil impaled Beelzebub through the chest with two phantom swords, then impaled him with Yamato, before charging energy into the blade and flicking Beelzebub through the air. The godking growled and got to his feet, as Yamato began to glow bright purple once again

"This time, I swear, you will die, Vergil," Beelzebub growled, charging up energy

Vergil simply smirked and shot at Beelzebub at exceptionally high speeds. Beelzebub was unable to see him, he was that fast, before registering slight pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw a slash wound there, glowing with energy, before looking over his shoulder and seeing Vergil straighten and sheath his sword. At the click of the blade locking, Beelzebub saw about six ghosts of Vergil in a hunched over position and with Yamato drawn. When the real Yamato clicked into place, the ghosts slammed into each other, then slammed in Beelzebub

He roared in pain as his body was torn apart by the powerful attack. There was a small explosion and when Vergil turned around, he saw a small ball of light where Beelzebub had been a minute before. Grabbing the light, he watched as it began a large suit of armour on his body. The armour was speaking to him and he listened, concentrating his energy into the armour and watched in amazement as the armour transformed into a miniature jet fighter. Vergil was lying down in the jet, but there was a screen on the cockpit shield that showed he could see in front of him. The jet was small, not much bigger than himself, but he felt the power residing inside

Grabbing hold of the controls, Vergil shot into the air at Mach 1 speeds, before utilizing the small computer to make a quick phone call

"Hello?"

"Hey, honey"

"Vergil, how's it going out there? Is Lili okay?" Lady asked

"Last I checked, she was fine," Vergil replied, "I'll find out in a minute. I'm heading to the Goddess' tower. Can you meet me there?"

"You want me to get all dressed up?"

"That would be nice. I know you're retired, but I need your help"

"In other words, you want me there for support? Okay, I'll be there soon"

"Great, I'll see you soon"

"Love you, honey"

Lady hung up, as Vergil flew towards the tower. He was about to call his daughter, but something on the large bridge made him cancel that plan. On the bridge, he could see his grandfather battling against the massive form of Mundus

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	12. Nero & Celeste Kick Ass

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Red Queen clashed against White Queen, as Credo swung his shield. Ducking away, Nero drew back his fist and slammed it into Credo's face. The blow disoriented him, but he managed to regain his senses in time to defend against Nero's High Roller. Flipping over, Nero came flying down, his sword embedding into the ground when Credo flew back. Swords appeared around his body and he fired them, but Nero batted them aside with ease, before reaching forth with his Light Bringer

Credo batted his arm aside with his shield, before lunging and striking with his sword. Nero blocked with his Devil Bringer, then shoved hard against Credo, before swinging the Red Queen, as he revved the throttle at the same time. Flames flew from the blade, washing over Credo, but without any effect, as Credo caught Nero in the chest with the White Queen and launching him into the air. He flew after Nero and slashed at him, but Nero defended his strikes, before grabbing him by the throat with his Light Bringer and pulling himself in. Credo slashed with his shield, but Nero placed one foot on it and flipped over, bringing the Red Queen down

Credo blocked and sliced upwards, but Nero stopped the swing with one foot, before planting the other against Credo's throat, his Devil Bringer holding the shield at bay, as he struck Credo on the side of the neck with a revved up Red Queen. They went tumbling back towards the ground, Nero using Credo's body to cushion the blow. The One-Winged Dark Knight groaned and swung his sword, narrowly missing Nero's face as he got to his feet. A ring of swords appeared around his body as he fired them

Nero leapt out of the way, before forming a spear with his Light Bringer and launching it. Credo batted the spear aside and teleported to Nero, slicing upwards on his body. Nero hit the ground, rolling away from the White Queen and getting up, ignoring the pain that flared in his abdomen. Zipping back from Credo's next move, Nero shot back in, stabbing and slicing outwards, before bringing the Red Queen around for another wide slash, but Credo blocked and smacked him aside

"Just die!" he growled as Nero dodged the White Queen

"Sorry, don't quite feel like it today," Nero said, ducking the White Queen

He slammed his Dark Bringer into Credo's ribs, launching him into the air, then cocking his arm back, as energy gathered in his palm, before throwing five dark swords that impaled Credo through the chest. He cried out, throwing a spear at Nero, who smacked it aside, before summoning the Nightmare Whip. Credo lurched back when he saw the weapon, having been killed by it last time he fought Nero

"Yeah, you remember this, don't you?" Nero asked, cracking the whip

"That may have defeated me last time, but not this time," Credo said

"That's what they all say"

Credo flew at Nero, as he flung the whip. It snapped against Credo's shield, as he thrusted the revved up White Queen. Nero only just managed to block, the power being discharged from the blade and into him. He groaned as he slowly sat up, seeing Credo standing over him, holding a spear in his hand

"Now you will die"

Credo stabbed with the spear, but Nero grabbed it with his Devil Bringer, shoving hard against Credo and throwing him aside. Credo got up and flew at Nero, who grabbed the shield with his Devil Bringer, as Credo swung the White Queen. Nero caught the blade in his left hand, blood running down his arm. Gritting his teeth, Nero Devil Triggered, throwing Credo into the air, before flying after him and slashing him rapidly with the Red Queen, then revving up the throttle and unleashing a final strike that shattered Credo's shield, as well as slicing his wing off. As Credo fell, Nero whipped out the Blue Rose and fired several charged rounds. Credo hit the ground in his human form, blood dripping from his mouth, as Nero landed in his human form

"Well, you truly are the better warrior," Credo groaned

He lay still, as his body dissolved into a ball of light. It flew into Nero's Devil Bringer, transforming it. Spikes grew from his forearm, as the Devil Bringer turned dark orange with black streaks running underneath. The claws turned red, as a small layer of flames appeared around the Devil Bringer. Nero smiled as he fingered the Diablo Bringer. Then, the White Queen flew at Nero, as he blocked with the Red Queen. The two swords then melted into one, creating the Gold Queen. Nero stared at his new sword, feeling the mass of power resting inside. Smiling, Nero turned back towards his family, seeing that they were still alive, since Kyrie had created a shield around them. Seeing Michael fighting against Sanctus, who had infused himself with the power of the False Saviour, Nero rushed in to help his son

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Leaping up from the building roof, Celeste kicked Abigail in the stomach, then did a spinning kick to the face, followed up by a front flip and kicking Abigail in the head. She caught herself and flew at Celeste, who brought Freyja down overhead. Blocking the blow with her forearms, Abigail kneed Celeste in the stomach, before smacking Freyja aside and punching Celeste in the face. She swung Freyja, but Abigail caught the blade between her hands. Letting go, Celeste drew the Dragon Blades, blasting Abigail with a jet of wind, before Devil Triggering and stay aloft with her wings

Abigail tossed Freyja aside and flew at Celeste, who created another jet of wind, this one behind Abigail and blasted her. Kicking her, Celeste did the move again, blasting Abigail towards her and kicking her in the chest. She did this once again, before diving after Abigail. She created a purple spear and launched it, but Celeste twisted her body around it, surrounding her body in flames

Slamming into Abigail, Celeste slashed with her Dragon Blades, lighting arcing from the blades. Abigail growled and struck Celeste with several ice shards, before striking her with a telekinetic blast. Celeste flipped a few times, bounding off the building wall and landing on the roof, as Abigail flew at her. Swinging her Dragon Blades, Celeste slashed Abigail across the chest, forcing her to angle away. Landing on her feet, Abigail whirled around with an ice sword, slashing at Celeste. She shattered the blade with flames, before striking Abigail with lightning

Abigail fired a beam of energy from her mouth, destroying the spot where Celeste had been standing a second ago. Celeste twisted her body, landing a kick on Abigail's jaw, but Abigail swiped at her, tearing three gashes in her stomach. Celeste jumped away, hissing in pain as she held a hand to her injury, just as Abigail opened her mouth and energy started to gather

Quick as a flash, Celeste threw a Dragon Blade, impaling Abigail inside her mouth, before leaping at her and Devil Triggering. The move knocked them off the building, as Celeste delivered three swift kicks to her body. Abigail responded by flaring her wings and causing Celeste to slam into her, allowing her to slash at her back. Celeste pushed away, removing her Dragon Blade from Abigail, before stabbing both daggers into the building wall. Abigail flew at her, as Celeste twisted and kicked, then pushed off and slashed with the flame-covered Dragon Blades

Abigail fired a large energy blast from her mouth, which Celeste narrowly dodged. A building was brought crashing down as a result, as Celeste slashed. Abigail grabbed her arms and spun around, slamming Celeste into the ground and causing her to lose hold of her Dragon Blades. Celeste kicked Abigail back, before flipping up onto her feet and whirled around. Abigail growled, as Celeste raised her hand. Freyja came flying out of nowhere, impaling Abigail through the back. She roared, as Celeste swiftly grabbed the Dragon Blades and rammed both daggers into Abigail's open mouth, charging the blades up with electricity and discharging it. An explosion went off, but Celeste was unharmed and Abigail was no more, apart from a ball of light, which formed into a pair of large discs when Celeste took hold of them. The outside were sharp-edged and silver, while the inside had three curved black handles to grip, as well as three small red hooks spinning in the opposite direction to help with grip. A red glow surrounded the Glaives, as Celeste smiled from the power she could feel. Eager to try her new weapons out, she headed off towards the Goddess' Tower

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Michael dodged Sanctus' fist and let rip with an attack from the Blue Queen, blue flames shattering the shield. Sanctus cried out, before swinging his Saviour fist. Michael leapt out of the way, as Nero came in with the Diablo Bringer, uppercutting Sanctus, then slamming his massive fist into the fallen priest's chest. Sanctus groaned, as Michael grabbed him with his Devil Bringer and slammed his face into the ground, then threw him into the air, before leaping up and slashing with the Blue Queen

Sanctus landed, groaning in pain, as Michael came flying down, slicing down the centre of Sanctus with the revved up Blue Queen. Sanctus exploded into a small ball of light, which zoomed onto Michael's Devil Bringer and transformed it. The markings turned from black to bright white, as feathers grew out of the streaks

"What the?" Michael said

He could feel the power of the Angel Bringer resonating inside him and smiled

"Now that's taken care of," Nero said, "We should go to the Tower"

"Of the Goddess?" Kyrie asked, as Cameron got to his feet

"Only way to stop this. Come on, let's go"

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	13. Trish vs Gloria

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One side of the church exploded outwards, as lightning destroyed the windows on the other side, whilst lighting up the inside of the church like Christmas. Trish dodged the dagger and snap-kicked Gloria in the face, reeling her head back. Stumbling, Gloria held out her hand and fired a dark energy blast, which Trish dodged, as another part of the church was destroyed. She shot forth a pair of lightning bolts, but Gloria did a cartwheel to her left, as the lightning bolts rebounded off the pipe organ and struck the bell, making it ring throughout the church. Trish and Gloria cried out, both holding their hands over their ears, waiting until the bell stopped ringing

Once the ringing was over, Trish caught Gloria in the chest with a lightning bolt. Gloria twisted her body, landing on the massive pipe organ, as Trish flew at her. Deflecting her kick, Gloria then dodged Sparda, as it sliced through several pipes. Swinging her dagger, Gloria slashed Trish along the waist, who swung Sparda at her, before grabbing two of the severed pipes and running them through Gloria's torso. She landed on the ground, ripping the pipes out, as the wounds healed, before launching them at Trish. She leapt down, kicking both pipes away and flipped over, slamming Sparda against the floor as Gloria leapt out of the way

"I tell you what, Trish, you have no idea what's in store for you," Gloria said

"Yeah, I can hardly wait and see," Trish said sarcastically

"You should see the Goddess. She's a tower of power and she's gonna rock this world. Well, at least until Mephistopheles rises up"

"Mephistopheles? You're kidding me? You're bringing him here? You seriously want the entire world to end?"

"I am evil and that is the plan"

"Oh, I am so gonna kick your ass!"

"Well, how about this to make things more interesting then"

Raising her hand, Gloria created a large blue portal above the pair, as the demon Phantom dropped down into the church and roared

"Trish, it has been a long time," he growled

"Phantom, long time, no pleasure whatsoever," Trish smirked

Phantom roared and lunged at Trish, but she ducked under him and leapt at Gloria, her dual-bladed daggers blocking Sparda's swing. Gloria lashed out with a spinning kick, but Trish spun around over her leg, before diving out of the way when Phantom came flying. Gloria teleported, as Phantom swung around and shot out several fireballs from his mouth. Trish dived out of the way, before retaliating with a few lightning bolts. Phantom snarled as the lightning bolts bounced off his thick hide and he started to tear into the ground, digging his way under the church

"Digging your own grave already?" Trish asked, watching him go, "You're smart"

"Well, I never expected him to do that," Gloria said, "I wonder where he went. You better not have run out on me, Phantom!"

At that moment, Phantom came bursting out of the ground behind Trish, slashing with his tail. Trish's body began glowing and she flew into the air, before launching several large beams of energy that homed in on Phantom and slammed into his body. He roared, shooting fireballs at Trish, but she dodged them with ease, as he burrowed back underground, as Trish whirled around to block Gloria

Kicking her back, Gloria slashed with one dagger, before whirling around and slashing with the other, followed up with a side snap-kick. Trish dodged the moves, before hitting Gloria in the stomach with twin lightning beams, blasting her across the church and slamming into a wall, at the same time Phantom came bursting out of the ground, sending Trish flying with a whip of his tail. She crashed against the floor and quickly rolled out of the way when Phantom came crashing down, snapping his claws

Quickly getting to her feet, Trish dodged Gloria, before leaping over Phantom. He whirled around and stabbed with his tail, striking Trish in the back and propelling her forth, as Gloria whipped around and landed a kick on her jaw, flipping her over so she landed on the floor on her face. Trish rolled over as Phantom towered over her, somehow creating a grin with his large maw, his eyes shining with glee

"Can I be the one who gets to kill her?" he growled

"Sorry, Fido, chase that rainbow another day," Gloria replied, "She's mine"

"And here I was thinking I was Dante's," Trish said

"Silence, Trish," Phantom roared

She simply smirked

"Make me, big boy"

Phantom snarled and went to bite her, but found that Sparda had been rammed into the roof of his mouth. Trish smirked and charged her power through the massive sword, combining it with the power of the Sparda and as a result, exploding Phantom's head in a shower of blood and gore

"Oh, did you have to do that?" Gloria asked, "He was somewhat useful"

Trish flipped onto her feet and turned around, removing Sparda from Phantom's headless corpse

"Well, it was effective and entertaining"

Gloria unfolded her arms and charged at Trish. She did the same and they clashed blades. Gloria was pulling off a variety of stylish and swift moves, but Trish blocked them easily, however, she was losing ground as she did so, with Gloria's attacks getting more and more rapid. Finally, in the end, Gloria slashed Trish across the wrists, then kicked Sparda out of her hands, before stabbing her

"It seems, Trish, that in the end, I am the better warrior," Gloria smiled

"Sorry, junior, but not this time"

Using her demonic strength, Trish ripped the daggers out of her body, before forcing Gloria's arms to bend around so she stabbed herself in the chest, then gathered her power and channelled it through the daggers and into Gloria's body. She screamed, as her eyes and mouth lit up brightly like Christmas, before the power overloaded and became too much, exploding Gloria's body in a similar fashion to Phantom

"See, effective and entertaining," Trish smirked

A ball of light hung in the air before her and she grabbed it, creating a large, jet-black steel chain that had a wisp of black energy surrounding it. A large, serrated dagger was attached to the end of the chain, but Trish quickly found that it could be detached, while the chain still remained just as lethal. Grinning, she picked Sparda up, before leaving the church and heading back out into the battle

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Graxtius gripped Linkin and swung it hard, slicing an arc of energy at Mundus. The former Demon Lord laughed and fired three lasers from his eyes, but Graxtius flew over them, before firing six black phantom spears. They impaled Mundus in the chest, but he simply brushed them off as if it annoyed him more than it hurt him

"It seems that you have been working out in Hell," Graxtius said

"Or maybe you just got weaker over the years," Mundus replied

He fired another three laser beams; just missing Graxtius, then swiped him with his hand, sending the father of Sparda flying across the ocean surface. Catching himself, Graxtius flew back at Mundus, avoiding his hands, then batted the laser beams aside, before stabbing Linkin into Mundus' third eye. He roared and smacked Graxtius onto the road, as two missiles slammed into Mundus' neck. He whirled around, as a mini jet fighter flew down and transformed into a suit of armour, with Vergil being the occupant. He grinned as he drew Yamato and the Hellebore

"Vergil, it has been such a long time," Mundus said, "And I thought you died"

"Well, I'm pretty hard to kill, as is the rest of my family," Vergil said

"Really? Is that so?"

In one swift movement, Mundus drew his massive sword and impaled Graxtius on the blade, nearly severing him in half. Graxtius groaned as Linkin fell from his limp fingers. Vergil watched on in horror, as Mundus ripped the sword away and he leapt over to his grandfather's body

"My time has come," Graxtius groaned, "Fight on, Vergil, fight on"

His life expired and his body dissolved into several balls of light, before flying off into the sky. However, one of them fused itself with Vergil, as he grabbed Linkin and turned to face his former master

"How touching," Mundus said mockingly, "Time to die, Vergil"

Vergil released all of his anger, Devil Triggering into a form that seemed like a combination of his own body and Sparda's devil form. He flew up at Mundus at blinding speeds, slashing at him with Linkin. Mundus roared in pain, multiple slashes covering his face, all of them glowing with powerful demonic energy. Shooting about twenty phantom swords into Mundus' chest, Vergil then delivered a powerful slash diagonally across Mundus' body, then flying up into the air and charging energy into Linkin, before diving down and striking before Mundus knew what had hit him

Mundus roared as his body was covered in bright light and he exploded, leaving no trace of him behind. Landing on the bridge, Vergil resumed his human form, before looking to the sky where the energy of his grandfather had dispersed

"I will fight on, Grandfather," he whispered

Resuming the battle armour, Vergil created the jet fighter and flew off into the sky

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	14. Tristan vs Balthazar

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"Oh, that was close," Tristan grinned, dodging Jagget, then its twin

Balthazar growled and did a wide slash with both swords, however it left him open when Tristan jumped back from the blades. He seized the chance and kicked Balthazar in the face, snapping his head back

"Only do that if you're certain you're gonna get them," Tristan said

"I'll remember that for next time"

Balthazar lunged at Tristan and slashed, before whirling around and kicking him in the chest. Tristan stumbled back, twisting his body to avoid Jagget, then twisted his body the other way to avoid its twin, as Balthazar followed up with a kick. Tristan was faster, punching Balthazar in the face, then grabbed his rising leg and threw him into the air. Balthazar twisted around and spread his wings, stopping his fall, before charging up energy and unleashing a blast that seemed like a red and gold hurricane

Tristan leapt into the air, the energy hurricane passing underneath him and destroying a large section of the wharf. At least four warehouses were destroyed instantly. He looked up, as Balthazar's foot connected with his face and he slammed into the ground. Tristan then rolled onto his back, as an energy blast smashed him through the wharf and he found himself standing waist-deep in seawater. Balthazar came flying down, slashing with his swords, but Tristan swiftly drew Vengeance, blocking the blows, before slashing hard and wide

Balthazar hit a wooden post, as Tristan slashed at him, slicing through the post when Balthazar dodged. He fired an energy blast, taking out another two posts, as Tristan let loose with twin lightning bolts. Another two posts were destroyed, as the wharf creaked and groaned, coming closer to collapsing, but the two warriors ignored the warning as they continued their fighting. Balthazar was the first to notice, kicking Tristan in the chest, before teleporting to above the wharf and using his telekinesis to bring it crashing down upon the young half-devil

Tristan came flying out of the ruined wharf in his demon form, his jet-black bat-like wings stretched out to the max, a faint red glow covering his body as he landed before Balthazar, his deep red eyes blazing angrily

"Now that was low," he growled

Balthazar smirked and lunged, gathering energy into his blades. Tristan sidestepped, holding Vengeance reverse so he could block the blow, then swiftly spin around Balthazar and slash him across the back. Snarling, Balthazar whirled around and slashed, missing when Tristan ducked, before running Jagget towards his torso. Tristan grabbed the blade in his left hand, the spikes cutting into his skin, but the wounds healed instantly when he kicked Balthazar away

Balthazar got to his feet and fired twin energy blasts from his swords, as Tristan responded by swiftly shooting twin lightning bolts. The two energies gathered, as a small ball of bright light began manifesting in the centre. As the pair kept their attacks up, the light kept charging up with energy, until it became too overloaded. An explosion rocked the area, sending shockwaves throughout and creating small tsunamis. Part of the harbour was completely obliterated, as Balthazar and Tristan slowly picked themselves from the mess they had made, the latter having reverted back to his human form in the explosion

"Now that was cool," Tristan said

"You know what's even cooler? Watching you die," Balthazar said

"As that has yet to happen, I don't think it would be all that cool"

"But it will be for me"

Balthazar fired another blast of energy, but Tristan dodged it, before swinging Vengeance to blow his blows. Balthazar slashed high, then spun around and slashed wide at Tristan's chest, missing but following up with a swift thrust. Tristan smacked Jagget aside, then spun and slashed downwards, leaving a nice long cut running down Balthazar's torso. He responded with a kick to Tristan's chest, before slashing with energy-charged blades. Tristan could hear the blades sing as they were swung

"So, I've heard stories about you," Tristan said, ducking under Jagget, "From my father. He said that you were tougher than this. He must have been joking"

"Let's put it this way: I'm only just getting started," Balthazar grinned

A red glow covered his body and he began to change. His chest plate snapped off, revealing his bulging muscles, as he began to taller and wider. Spikes grew from his forearms, as his face contorted and stretched out, baring large fangs, while the sclera in his eyes faded away and they stretched, turning bright blue. His wings grew wider, as the outside finger stretched past the skin, becoming a sharp and deadly point. The new Balthazar snarled and let out a roar, his wings spread out to their max

"Wow, do you need a license to be that ugly?" Tristan smirked

Balthazar snarled, swinging his large fist tipped with six-inch extremely sharp claws, but missed when Tristan jumped out of the way, chuckling as he did

"So, you were born in a barn, eh? Were there more in the litter"

Drool flying from his fangs, Balthazar swiped again. Tristan dodged the first two swings, before batting Balthazar's third swipe and punching him across the jaw

"You don't need plastic surgery," Tristan snickered, "The wreckers will do"

Balthazar let out a loud roar, finding landing a blow that tore open Tristan's shirt and ripped four deep lacerations through his torso. Tristan stumbled back, as Balthazar's foot slammed into his chest, throwing him onto his back. Tristan groaned, as Balthazar pinned him down by his throat and raised his other fist. Just before he could deliver the blow, Tristan whipped out one of his handguns and shot Balthazar in the face, then kicked him in the stomach with both feet, throwing him back

Flipping onto his feet, Tristan drew Vengeance, deflecting Balthazar's claws, before running the sword through his chest. Balthazar grinned and slashed Tristan's arm, before firing a blast of energy into the young half-demon's body. Tristan hit the ground, smoke rising from his burning chest, as he slowly got to his feet. Balthazar came flying through the air, impaling Tristan with his wingtips, then slammed a ball of energy onto his feet, which resulted in a Devil Trigger. Gripping the wings, Tristan pulled the tips out of his chest, before slamming Balthazar onto the ground and pinned him facedown with his boot as he leaned over

"Have you ever played Mortal Kombat?" Tristan asked, "This should help you out then if you haven't"

With a fast motion, Tristan stabbed his hand into Balthazar's back, before grabbing hold of his spine and using all of his demonic strength to rip both spine and skull out of Balthazar's body. His mouth was hanging open in an empty scream, as his body starting glowing. Tristan crushed the skull and spine between his hands, resuming his human form as Balthazar exploded in a ball of light

"Fatality," he grinned

He looked up to see a ball of light hovering before him. Tristan grabbed it, as it split in two, forming into a pair of long, slightly curved-bladed swords. The blades were square-edged, with a small gap between each square, while the tip was tapered sharply and gleamed brightly. A blood red glow surrounded the blades, as Tristan whipped them around, testing them out

"Cool weapons," he said

Looking around, he saw a group of Scarecrows, Marionettes and Goatlings coming towards him. Eager to test his new weapons out, Tristan raced towards them. A scarecrow lunged at him, but one of the Devil Wings sliced through it with ease. The Scarecrow exploded into black dust, as Tristan whirled around and impaled a Goatling, then ripped upwards, before whipping around and decapitating a Marionette. With each kill he made, the glow got darker and larger, until the blades were covered in completely black energy. Two Abyss Goatlings flew at Tristan, as he snapped the Devil Wings forward, releasing the energy. Both Goatlings were sliced into four parts each, as if someone had sliced them with an 'X' formation

Tristan grinned as he twirled the Devil Wings around, cutting down two Scarecrows at once, as a Blitz demon appeared. It teleported around in flashes of lightning, before appearing before Tristan and charging up its energy. He grinned and threw one Devil Wing directly into its chest, then leapt forth and brought the other Devil Wing down, slicing the Blitz in half, then grabbing the first Devil Wing and killing a Goatling

"Oh man, these things are sweet," he grinned, "I wonder how they'll do against a Goddess"

Sheathing the swords on his back, Tristan set off for the Tower

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	15. Jenny vs Jester

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The sprinklers were still running when Jenny smashed through the jeweller's shop. She shook her hair out of her face, getting to her feet as Jester sauntered in. he charged and swung his fist, but Jenny dodged, before grabbing his arm and smashing his head through a glass counter, then bringing it up out of the counter. Cuts and glass covered Jester's face, as he blocked a high kick from Jenny, grabbing her leg and throwing her against the wall. Blasting two lighting bolts through a counter, Jenny narrowly missed Jester, as she jumped over and booted him in the chest

Jester stumbled, but then swung his fist, which Jenny ducked under as she circled him, before bringing his fist back. However, Jenny grabbed his arm and struck him across the face, as he twisted and slammed his knee into her stomach, then threw her into the ceiling. Jenny hit the floor and rolled away, as Jester came at her. She caught him in the chest with her lightning bolts, sending him flying out of the shop

James killed a Jomothumsira, then whirled around to slice through a Blood Goatling's chest, kicking a Scarecrow aside and snapping a Marionette in half with his sword. A Plasma flew around, letting out several small sparks of electricity, as Parker took aim with his shotgun and fired, destroying the demon. James let out of the way when a Demonochorus attempted to attack him. He brought Envy down overhead, slicing the Demonochorus in half, as a Shadow demon lunged at him, snarling and shrieking

Jenny burst through the elevators doors and quickly leapt out through the fire exit when a ball of energy slammed into the elevator. Jester appeared before Jenny and uppercutted her, as she grabbed hold of the cables and swung around, kicking Jester higher up into the shaft when he flew at her. Using her electrical abilities, Jenny made the elevator car come flying up, teleporting out of the way, as the car rocketed towards Jester and slammed into him, letting rip with an explosion. Jester came flying out of the flames, a furious look on his face and his hair slightly singed, as Jenny leapt at him through the falling cables

Jester swung his fist, which Jenny dodged as she kneed him, before pushing down on his shoulders, her hands crackling. Jester twisted and kicked her in the stomach, before grabbing a cable and throwing himself after her. Jenny flipped over and landed on a small ledge, before kicking Jester through a set of doors. She swiftly followed after him, slamming into him as they tumbled through the air. Jester twisted and threw Jenny against the ground, before striking her with two large balls of energy, followed by a massive ball that had a smiley face upon it. Jenny crashed through several floors, falling through open air, spying Rebellion impaled in the ceiling. She grabbed it and twisted around so she landed on her feet in the food court

"You okay?" James asked

"Will be once I've killed him," Jenny replied

"And here I was thinking we could be friends," Jester said

"Go to hell"

"Already been there"

Jester raised his hands, as confetti shot from his sleeves. At the same time that happened, a ring of energy appeared around both James and Jenny, entrapping them in an enclosure, as about six balls of energy bounced around in each. The pair leapt around and jumped off the walls, doing their best to avoid the energy balls. Parker raised his handgun and took aim, shooting a round into the side of Jester's head

The energy balls and rings faded away, as Jester stumbled, before digging his fingers into the wound and extracting the bullet. He glared at Parker and headed over to him with determination, as Parker and Amber grabbed a shotgun each and started firing. An energy shield had appeared around Jester, deflecting the bullets, as Jenny and James leapt through the air after him, their swords at the ready. As they came down, Jester flung his hand back, blasting the pair aside with energy, before kicking Amber in the stomach, sending her flying, then grabbing Parker by the throat

"Let's see how long you can last without air"

He started squeezing, but Amber drew a handgun and started shooting, mindful not to hit her brother. Jester threw Parker into a wall, knocking him out, before advancing upon the young Kennedy. By now, the sprinklers had stopped running, as James let loose a fireball that slammed into Jester's back. He whirled around and teleported before James, kicking him in the face, before slamming him with a huge ball of energy at close range, resulting in James Devil Triggering. He grew taller by an extra foot, as his width expanded and his muscles bulged. His skin turned dusky black, while his eyes became bright blue, without any visible sclera or irises. He seemed naked, except for the hood on his head and the cloth around his waist that hung down to his knees. He also had a belt made from chains, as bat-like wings unfurled from his back and tiny glimmers of flames ran along his shoulders and arms

"Well, that is impressive," Jester grinned

He drew his pair of broadswords, as James flew at him, Envy having grown by twice its original size. He brought Envy down overhead, as Jester blocked and kicked him in the chest. Jenny came in with a feint, whirling around and slashing at Jester's legs. He stepped over Rebellion, bringing one of his swords down. Jenny twisted her body, narrowly dodging the blade, before swinging Rebellion towards his head. He ducked under the blade, before deflecting Envy and striking James across the face. He growled and spun around, swinging Envy which was covered in flames

Jenny stabbed with Rebellion, followed by a chop, as James ducked and slashed at Jester's feet. He jumped, while dodging Rebellion at the same time and kicked both Jenny and James in the face simultaneously. They both stumbled back, before zooming in with a Stinger each. Jenny followed up with a High Rise, while James threw his sword like a boomerang. Jester was lifted by Jenny's move, while Envy sliced into him and Jenny cut him back down to the ground, just as James caught Envy and sent forth a stream of flames. Jester twisted out of the way, as Jenny caught him with a Stinger, throwing him across the food court

Jester slammed into a food stand, as Jenny teleported before him and impaled him through the chest, pinning him to the ground, as James joined her in his human form

"Okay, so now we're gonna talk," Jenny said, "What is the Goddess up to?"

"Like she's gonna tell me?" Jester replied, "You are more stupid than I give you credit for"

"She's up to something," James said, "Unless she only came back to sit around"

"Well, I do recall something about a ritual she had to do, but that's all"

"Well then, if that's all, there's no more need for you," Jenny replied

She whipped out one of her handguns, charging her demonic energy into it, before firing a single round point blank into Jester's head. His body fell limp, as Jenny removed and sheathed Rebellion. Jester's body faded away into a ball of light, which Jenny took. It formed into a long staff, but then the ends started to thicken, until they had become large sword blades. Jenny twirled the sword staff around, testing it out, before accepting it and absorbed it inside herself

"Well then, I guess we head to the Tower," she said

James nodded, before heading over to the unconscious Parker and rolling him over, as he started to stir and gazed up at a grinning Jenny

"Hey, no need to nap on the job. Come on, we've got work to do"

"What sort of work?" he asked suspiciously

"We're taking on the Goddess," James replied, "Everyone will be there"

"Goddess of what?" Amber asked

"Uh, Death. What else?" Jenny asked, "I wanna try my new toy out"

"I'm assuming there will be a lot of demons there," Parker asked

"No doubt there would be heaps"

"Alright then, count me in. Amber, I think you should go home"

"No complaints here"

"Alright, let's go kick some ass," Jenny grinned

†††††††††††


	16. The Tower of the Goddess

†††††††††††

Dante stood in the middle of the road, a thoughtful look on his face, as he held Ebony and Ivory. After defeating the Despair Embodied, Dante had then battled against Maverick, who soon took off the minute his ass started getting kicked too much for his liking. Now, Dante was standing across the road from the Tower of the Goddess, a pondering look on his face. At that minute, a mini jet fighter arrived beside him, before transforming into a suit of armour with Vergil as the occupant, as he absorbed the armour inside himself

"Cool. Neat trick," Dante grinned, "Where'd you get it from?"

"Beelzebub," Vergil replied casually, "What are you thinking about?"

"The best way to tackle this castle. Do I aim high or do I aim low?"

Vergil got the exact same pondering look on his face as his brother as he studied the castle

"My suggestion? Aim low, work our way up"

"Sounds good"

"Hey, is this where everyone got to?"

Dante and Vergil turned around to face Nero, as he arrived with his family

"Well, maybe not quite everyone," Nero said

A minute later, Celeste arrived with David, who was armed to the teeth

"Spence still looking after the little ones?" Dante asked

"Just checked in on him. He's having fun. The kids are causing chaos for him," Celeste said with a smile, "But in a good way"

"Oh, I should tell you guys," Vergil said, "Grandfather is dead"

"Say what?" Celeste cried, "What do you mean he's dead?"

"As in he's not living anymore," Vergil replied, "Mundus killed him"

"Kinda ironic in a way," Dante said sadly, "Did anyone get hit by a ball of light?"

"I did, right after he died," Vergil said, "I was able to kill Mundus then"

"Yeah, I got hit as well, not long after I defeated Credo," Nero said

Celeste nodded her agreement

"In death, Grandfather gave us his strength," Dante mused, "What a guy"

It was then Trish, Lady, Jenny, Lili, Tristan and James arrived, as Dante and Vergil headed towards their respective spouses and gave them a kiss each

"So, we're all finally here," Nero said, "Shall we get this over and done with then?"

"Yeah sure then, little brother," Dante said, ruffling Nero's hair and earning a glare, "I've been waiting for you guys. Could do it myself, but it's more fun with you all"

"Why, Dante, I'm touched," Vergil said, "You ready, my darling girls?"

"As always," Lady said with a smile, cocking Kalina Ann, "Honey"

"Alright, let's rock," Dante grinned

The Sparda family headed towards the Tower, as a large horde of demons appeared, consisting of Scarecrows, Mega Scarecrows, Assaults, Frosts, Nobodies, Fetishes, Goatlings, Hell Sins, Kykylops, Bloodgoyles and many more. Dante took the lead, drawing Alastor and slicing a Leg Scarecrow in half. Vergil bashed a Marionette in the face with Yamato's hilt, before slicing a Bloody Mary in half. Three Blitz demons appeared, as Tristan, Jenny and Lili took them on together, swapping targets without speaking to each other about the switches

Letting loose with twin lightning bolts to take down a Shadow demon, Trish then unfurled the Dark Chain and cracked it, the blade slicing through a Frost with ease, then wrapped the chain around an Abyss Goatling and yanked hard, crushing the demon's skeleton with ease. Lady took aim with Kalina Ann and fired, before swiftly shifting between the rocket launcher for MPK5's and letting loose. Nero grabbed a Cutlass with his Diablo Bringer, slightly burning the demon, before slamming the demon into the ground in a shockwave of flames, while James created a large fireball that slammed into an Orangguerra's chest and incinerated it

With her glaives, Celeste was cutting a bloody swath through the demons, aided by her husband as he shot down the demons around her. She dodged a Mega Scarecrow's flying blades, before throwing one of her glaives. It sliced through the demon with ease, before returning to her hand, slicing open a Pyromancer at the same time. More demons fell, reduced to dust and receding slime, as more demons appeared to take their places. Teleporting past an Abyss, Vergil sliced the demon in half, then whirled around to block a Scarecrow, before impaling it. It was then that all the demons in the vicinity suddenly underwent a Devil Trigger of their own, a purple hood of energy with glowing red eyes appearing around the demon's heads

"Something tells me that doesn't look good," Tristan replied

He sliced open a Brontmancer with both Devil Wings, before taking on a Tartarussian. Dante swung Alastor, lightning crackling from the blade, but a Mega Scarecrow blocked the blow, before spinning upwards, its blades slicing into Dante's chest and throwing him back. Dante landed on his feet, letting out a small growl, as the Mega Scarecrow tucked inside into a ball and rolled towards him. Dante drew Alastor back like a baseball bat and swung when the Scarecrow fell upon him, launching the demon through the air, as its blades sliced through several Bloodgoyles and it slammed into the tower wall, motionless, as Dante grinned to himself

"Home run"

Jenny was using her swordstaff, as James joined her and they fought the demons together. Michael and Cameron were fighting alongside each other, Michael using the Blue Queen and his Angel Bringer, while Cameron was fighting with the Flame Staff. Kyrie conjured up several balls of energy and launched them, taking down several Assault and Blade demons, as Nero grabbed a Gladius and threw it into the chest of a Hell Pride demon, reducing it to dust

"Okay, time to take the castle," Dante said, "The Goddess is going down"

He Devil Triggered, his energy flux taking out several demons. Following his lead, Vergil and the others Devil Triggered, quickly wiping out the horde of demons, before resuming their human forms, as James destroyed the front door with flames. A large group of Hell and Abyss demons awaited the group, but were all cut down with ease, as the Sparda family found the set of winding staircases and made their way up

"How high does this go?" Michael asked

Bloodgoyles and Puias flew down in a massive swarm, completely covering the whole family as razor-sharp feathers were fired and swift swoops were made. Gunshots rang throughout, as Puias were killed and Bloodgoyles were turned to stone. James used his flames, while Celeste used her glaives to finish the Bloodgoyles off, as they all continued up the stairs. At that moment, a small force of Spiceres appeared, slamming into the staircase and setting off explosions, as a Furiataurus and Trismagia appeared at the bottom. Lady, David, Michael, Cameron and Kyrie fell to the floor below, but remained relatively unharmed by the fall. Immediately, Michael and Cameron took on the Furiataurus together, while Trismagia concentrated on Lady, David and Kyrie as they fought the three-headed demon together

"They'll be fine," Vergil said, watching Lady fire a rocket at the fire Magia, "They can handle themselves. We've got a goddess to deal with"

At the top of the stairs was a large room, where there was a large set of polished ivory doors at the other side. However, there was a group of Devil Triggered demons in the centre, their red eyes glowing brightly as they got ready for the fight to come

"Well, let's give it to them," Dante said, drawing Alastor, "Come on"

A Basilisk fired its head at Dante, but he smacked it back, taking the demon down. Drawing his sword swiftly, Vergil created energy in the form of an 'X', as it sliced apart several Scarecrows. Revving up the White Queen, Nero attacked a couple of Bianco Angelo demons, white flames streaking from the blade, as Trish extended the blade of Sparda, striking several Mortifinis at once, as Celeste used her glaives to slice through the Jomothumsiras, turning them into frozen statues, as Lili fired three bands of energy that cut down three Assaults. Burning a Cutlass out of the ground, James killed it, before swiftly moving onto a Fetish, as Tristan hacked and slashed at a couple of Kyklops and Jenny took on a Death Scissors

Once the demons were dead, Dante kicked the ivory doors open and strode inside, seeing the form of the Goddess on the other side of the room, her back to them as she stared out the window. Dante grinned and sheathed Alastor

"So, at last we finally met, Goddess. Why don't you turn around and we can settle this out, half-demon to goddess"

"As you wish, Dante"

The Goddess slowly turned around, as Dante's grin changed into a look of shock and surprise when he saw her face. The same look was mirrored by everyone else who knew her. Dante couldn't believe his own eyes. She was right here before him, as the Goddess of Death. He pinched himself. Nope, he wasn't dreaming

"Lucia?"

†††††††††††


	17. The Goddess of Death

†††††††††††

"Lucia?"

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Lucia smirked

She looked the same as she did before she died nearly twenty-five years ago, except now she had black streaks running down from her bright green eyes, while her hairstyle pretty much remained the same. She was wearing a three-quarter long tight midriff top and leather pants with knee high boots. She also wore fingerless gloves and had a collar of long black feathers up around her head, obscuring it from view from behind, while her trademark cutlaseers were strapped to her thighs

"Ghosts don't frighten me," Dante said, "Seeing dead friends kinda do"

"Well, I'm not dead, not anymore," Lucia said, "Now, I control death"

"Oh man, you should have seen the looks on your faces," Maverick cried, appearing out of the darkness, "Completely priceless!"

"You!" Trish growled, "You're the one responsible for this!"

"Uh, yeah, I completely am," Maverick said with a shrug, "What are you gonna do?"

"So, you resurrected Lucia and resurrected the Goddess through her," Vergil said

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! What does he win, Johnny?"

"I can't believe you did this, Maverick," Dante said, "This is low, even for you"

"No, it's not. I'm a demon. There is no such thing as low," Maverick said

"Well, at any rate, you're not resurrecting Mephisto," Dante said to Lucia

"Watch me," Lucia replied

"So, I'm guessing she's an old friend of yours," Jenny said, "And she died years ago"

"I watched as her body burned," her mother said, "This is not possible"

"And yet it is," Lili added

"Now that my powers have completely regenerated, I can raise Mephisto," Lucia said, "And you will not stop me"

"Watch me," Dante echoed

"Time to bring her down," Vergil said

He lunged at Lucia and drew Yamato, but Lucia was fast, drawing her cutlaseers and blocking Vergil, before doing a twisting kick that caught Dante in the chest when he came flying in with Alastor drawn. Trish fired a lightning bolt, which Lucia dodged, as she threw a dagger into Trish's shoulder. Jenny and Tristan moved in, but Lucia blocked them both and brought her legs up to kick them in the head, throwing them away. Nero reached out with the Diablo Bringer, but Lucia sliced into the arm, forcing him to retract it back. Maverick grinned and created a large gate of ice in front of Nero, Celeste and James, but the latter melted it with his flames

"Let's heat it up," Maverick cried, "Tonight, hell freezes over"

"In your dreams," Celeste said, throwing a glaive

Maverick leapt out of the way, as Celeste caught him in the chest with a kick, before whirling around with the other glaive and slashing him across the chest. He created a sword out of ice and sliced, but Celeste blocked, kneeing him in the gut, then slicing him across the chest again, before kicking him onto his back

"Okay, that hurt," he muttered

Lucia deflected Envy and kicked James in the chest, throwing him against the wall, before parrying Dante's Stinger and stabbing him in the stomach. He gritted his teeth, as Lucia threw him off the cutlaseers to block Vergil's blow and smack Trish aside at the same time. Tristan slashed with the Devil Wings, missing when Lucia teleported out of the way and threw several knives into his torso. He cried out in pain, slowly removing the daggers, as Lucia took on Lili and Nero at the same time

Lili stabbed, then spun around with a slash, but Lucia jumped over the blade, before blocking Nero's Dark Bringer and kicking him in the groin. He gritted his teeth in pain, as Lucia spun over Yitoma and slashed Lili across the shoulder. Revving up the White Queen, Nero slashed, but Lucia ducked out of the way, kicking Jenny in the stomach, then spinning around and blocking Trish's Stinger. Dante and Celeste came in at the same time, but Lucia jumped up and kicked them in the faces

"And you call yourselves the saviours of the world?" she asked smugly

"Never called myself that," Dante said, "Okay, so I am. What you gonna do?"

"Oh I don't know, call me crazy, but we kill you?" Maverick suggested

He fired a blast of ice, which Lili smacked aside, wearing her Hunter Armour. Maverick smirked and raised his hands into the air, creating a shower of deadly ice shards. Only Lucia was unaffected as the shards sliced into everyone else. Concentrating his powers, Maverick then unleashed a large blast of ice that turned everyone into frozen statues. Moving swiftly, Lucia sliced and slashed everyone, while shattering his or her icy prisons. Dante stumbled forth, multiple injuries covering his body, but they started to heal, as he swung Alastor at Lucia

She blocked and slashed him across the stomach, then locking Yamato between her cutlaseers and twisting, allowing her to kick Vergil in the head and flip him onto his back. Trish fired a few bolts of charged lightning, but Lucia danced around the bolts, before teleporting in front of Trish and doing a jumping spin kick that threw Trish into Nero, taking them down, as Lucia then defended against Jenny's moves

"And I thought you were all better than this," Lucia said, smacking Jenny aside

"Well, honestly, we've never gone up against a goddess," Vergil said, "This is quite a first for all of us"

He sliced upwards with Yamato, then whirled around and slashed with the Hellebore. Lucia struck him rapidly in the chest with the hilts of her cutlaseers, before doing a spin kick. Vergil slammed against the wall, but got up and summoned the Phantom Cannon, before taking aim and firing. Lucia smacked the shot aside into Celeste, before snap-kicking Tristan on the jaw and slashing forth. He managed to block and broke away, slicing at her head, but she ducked and swept his legs out from under him

"This is just too easy," Lucia said, "Are you sure you're not holding back?"

James let loose with a large fireball, but Maverick froze it on him, as Lili moved in and attacked. Lucia blocked all of her moves and sliced her across the chest, before kicking her along the ground, then stopping Nero's strike and doing a scissors kick that threw him against the wall. Dante came in with his trademark Stinger, but Lucia did a pirouette around him and stabbed him through the back with both blades

"Sorry, Dante, but this time around, you lose"

She then ripped her cutlaseers up out through his shoulders. Dante cried out, as Lucia stabbed him again and threw him out of the window, sending him plummeting eighty storeys down into the road below. Vergil and Celeste lunged at Lucia, but she blocked and smacked them aside, before kicking Trish in the stomach, then throwing a knife into Tristan, Lili and Jenny each, as Nero struck with his Devil Bringer. Lucia pushed off his arm and kicked him in the face, then impaled James with both blades

"As fun as it was, I have things to do," Lucia said

She kicked James off the blades, before disappearing, as Maverick did the same. Down on the road, Dante rolled over painfully, wincing as he sat up, blood splattering his body, most of it his own, as he slowly got to his feet, his injuries already healing

†††††††††††

Trismagia roared in agony as his heads were destroyed from the combined might of Kyrie, Lady and David, as the Furiataurus fell to Michael and Cameron

"Well, that must have been an effort and a half," drawled a voice

Everyone whirled around to see Lucia and Maverick walking towards them

"Lucia?" Lady said in surprise, "But…you're dead"

"No, I was dead," Lucia replied, "Now I control death"

"You're the Goddess of Death?" David said, "So…you're evil?"

"More or less"

Maverick created an igloo of ice around Nero's two sons, blocking them off, as Lucia moved forward with lightning speed. David grabbed his automatic rifle and fired, but Lucia deflected the bullets with her cutlaseers, before slicing David open. He fell forward into a pool of blood, as Lady fired a rocket at Lucia. She sliced it in half, teleporting in front of Lady and slicing her down her torso. Lady groaned as she fell over into her own blood, while Kyrie launched several balls of energy. Lucia dodged them, making her way to Kyrie, before impaling her through the stomach

"Game over," Lucia smirked

She ripped the cutlaseers away, as she and Maverick left the tower. The igloo melted, as Michael and Cameron raced to their mother's lifeless body, before checking on their aunt and uncle, finding that they were deceased as well

†††††††††††

Uh, yea, that doesn't look good, does it?


	18. Our Course of Action

†††††††††††

Dante cut down the Alto Angelo blocking his path and arrived at the tower door, just as Lucia and Maverick came outside. Before Dante could react, he was blasted through the air by a ball of ice, as Lucia and Maverick made their escape

Shaking his head, Dante sheathed Alastor and headed back over to the tower. What he found inside was not what he expected. Lady, David and Kyrie were all lying dead in pools of blood, as Michael and Cameron sat nearby, sadden looks on their faces

"What happened here?" Dante asked, kneeling beside his nephews

"Some demon trapped us inside a block of ice," Michael replied, "And some red-haired woman killed them. She killed Mom. She killed them all"

"It's okay. Who am I kidding? It's not okay, but things will be fine"

"How are they going to be fine, Uncle Dante?" Cameron asked

"I'll find a way. Come on, we can't leave her like that"

Dante, Michael and Cameron got up, just as everyone else came downstairs. Vergil, Nero and Celeste instantly rushed to their respective spouses, but found that they were too late. Lili joined her father by her mother's side, falling beside him, as he tried to hold back his tears, but to no avail, as his daughter joined him

"Did Lucia do this?" Jenny asked with barely suppressed anger

"She did, but calm down, Jen," Dante said

"Calm down! Are you freaking kidding me, Dad? Look at what's she done!"

"Rage isn't going to get you anywhere," Trish said, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, trying to calm her down

James was silent as he watched the family mourn, before silently exiting the tower. Vergil picked Lady's body up and cradled her to his body, before heading for the door, as Nero picked up Kyrie's body and Celeste grabbed David's body, as they all left the tower and headed back to Devil May Cry. Trish entered the office first, getting her two young children and taking them upstairs, along with young Shaun, as Spencer stared down at his father's body, as his mother pulled him into a comforting hug

"What…happened…I mean…who did this?" he asked

"It doesn't matter," Celeste replied, kissing her son's forehead

"We're gonna have to bury them," Dante replied without any emotion

Vergil barely heard him, staring at his wife's body, but he numbly nodded

"Come on, bro," Dante said, placing a hand on his twin's shoulder

He walked away, removing his weapons and coat, before heading into the back and grabbing a shovel, then heading out to the car, where Vergil was waiting with Lady's body in his arms. Nero and Celeste were also there, as they got into the car with Dante and headed off to the cemetery

Dante selected a nice, secluded spot and started digging. He worked alone, but he didn't mind, as he quickly dug three graves. One by one, Vergil, Nero and Celeste said a silent goodbye to their spouses, before placing them in their graves, as Dante filled them in, heartache and sadness wearing down on his mind. Nero found a large rock and using one of his dark swords, carved it into a cross, before placing it at the head of the graves, as the Sparda siblings stood together in a moment of silence

"So, we're clear on Lucia then?" Dante asked, "We kill her, no holding back?"

"That's the idea," Vergil replied emotionlessly

†††††††††††

James followed the trail to the Order Headquarters, where Lucia and Maverick were busy digging a tunnel underground. He followed after them into the catacombs below, finding them in a large room with glyphs carved all over the walls and a large door set in stone with an image of a tower and a rising demon coming out of the tower

"Okay, so this is where we can get the power of Mephistopheles?" Maverick asked, "And then we run it through his power? Something tells me I'm confused"

"The tower belongs to Mephisto. It's where we channel his power through, because his power resonated through the walls. But we need the relics, which are buried right here," Lucia replied, "Fit in place, we can bring Mephisto back to life"

"Yeah, I must have missed demon resurrecting in school," Maverick muttered

A jet of flames washed over the doors, as Maverick sighed and turned around

"You're really starting to annoy me!" he growled

"Oh look, it's the Linkin demon," Lucia smiled, "His race were the ones who created the Sparda and Linkin swords millenniums ago"

"You lot were the ones who forged those swords?" Maverick asked, "Gives me an even better reason to kill you"

"I'd like to see you try," James said

"Hey, got a question for you, Lucia. What do you do when James throws a pin at you? Run, he's got a grenade! It's a blond joke," Maverick added when Lucia didn't laugh

"Say, what is Lilith's mating call?" James said, "Next!"

"Hey, no insulting my mother," Maverick said, "You obviously came from the shallow end of the gene pool"

"Do you ever have that terrible empty feeling – in your skull?" James shot back

"Just stop with the arguing and get to killing each other," Lucia demanded crankily

"With pleasure," Maverick said, creating a sword out of ice

James unsheathed Envy and placed the tip on the ground, as flames ran along the blade. Lucia turned to the door and started using her powers to open it. Maverick lunged at James and slashed, but he jumped back, unleashing a torrent of flames. Maverick quickly created a wall of ice to protect himself. James came smashing through the ice, kicking Maverick in the chest and throwing him against the wall

Lucia struggled against the power of the door, as it was blocking her out, but she had the power of the Goddess of Death behind her and was slowly making progress, as James and Maverick continue their battle. Ducking under Envy, Maverick swept James' legs out, but James was quick to recover, rolling back onto his feet and swinging Envy upwards to block Maverick's slash, then planting his boot into Maverick's stomach. He then kneed Maverick in the face and stabbed at his chest, but Maverick deflected Envy and spun around with a slash across James' chest

"Do you like that?" Maverick asked

Stabbing, James then slashed high, before whirling around with a kick to Maverick's chest. Stumbling back, Maverick dodged James' next swing and grabbed his arm on the follow through, stabbing an ice dagger into his chest. Breaking away, James slammed his head against Maverick's, then booted him in the stomach, before slashing him across the chest with Envy

"You little minx," Maverick growled

James struck with a Stinger, but Maverick deflected, before swinging upwards and throwing James into the air. Leaping after him, Maverick began pelting him with ice daggers, finishing off with a blast of subzero temperatures, encasing James in an ice statue. Landing, Maverick smiled at his handiwork and turned to Lucia

"So, how's it coming along?" he asked

There came the sound of something large smashing apart and flames suddenly surrounded him. Gritting his teeth, Maverick created a shield of ice around himself, as the flames died down and he turned to face James

"Alright, jerkweed, I'm gonna kill you this time"

At that moment, Lucia managed to open the doors, as James lunged forth and impaled Maverick, dousing him in the flames, then taking after Lucia as she entered the passageway. As he raised Envy and swung, Lucia whirled around, her cutlaseers drawn, slashing him across the stomach. James groaned, as Lucia kicked him in the chest, then the face, knocking him down, before heading into the small room where three large black orbs sat on a pedestal. One had an image of a beating heart on the outside, the other had an image of a spirit and the last orb had a pair of deep red eyes

"Maverick, get your ass in here," Lucia called

"Coming…in a minute"

Maverick created a pathway of ice and was sliding along it, but James stabbed Envy into the path, melting the ice, then shooting forth and slashing Maverick, before unleashing a blast of flames that propelled Maverick across the room. Meanwhile, Lucia had picked up the three orbs with a smile, before teleporting out of the room. James spun Envy around and slashed, but Maverick blocked, before shooting a barrage of ice shards into his body. Just then, the room began shaking

"What the hell is going on?" James asked

"Oh, Lucia's removed the orbs of Mephistopheles," Maverick replied casually, "She's returning to the tower where she'll use them to resurrect him"

"That's not gonna happen"

"That's what the good guys always say"

†††††††††††


	19. Back at the Tower

†††††††††††

Arriving back at the tower, Lucia headed down into the basement, where a large gate resided with three openings set in it in a triangular positioning. She checked each orb, trying to remember their placing. Once she remembered, she smiled and set about placing them in their locks. However, someone was standing before her

"Care for a word?" Dante asked, not looking at her

"You never cease to amaze me, Dante," Lucia smiled

"Well, I try my best," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes

Then the smile faded

"You killed my two sister-in-laws and my brother-in-law. For that, I think I'll just have to kill you"

Lucia chuckled, then dumped the orbs aside, before drawing her cutlaseers

"You could try – argh!"

Yamato appeared out of her chest, as Vergil ripped it away and followed up with a Blitz kick – straight into Nero's Diablo Bringer, as he punched her across the room, where Celeste was waiting with her glaives. Lucia hit the ground, blood running from her injuries, as the Sparda siblings surrounded her

"You know we can't let you raise Mephistopheles," Vergil said

"It's not like you can stop me," Lucia said

"But it's not like we're easy to beat," Nero said

He shot his Dark Bringer forth, grabbing Lucia by the throat, attempting to drain her dark power. Lucia cried out, then started laughing, as she grabbed Nero by the wrist and tossed him aside easily

"Nice try, Nero, but you can't do it"

"I was able to do it to Beelzebub," Nero said, "What's the difference?"

"He was a god_king_. I'm a god_dess_. Major difference. I'm one up on him. Or maybe three up. Either way, I'm more powerful and therefore, harder to defeat"

"Guess we'll have to find another way," Dante said

"Well, best of luck then," Lucia said

Dante moved at her, but she kicked him in the stomach, then whirling around to block Vergil and slash him across the stomach, as Celeste slashed with Freyja. Parrying the blow, Lucia rammed her elbow into Celeste's ribs, then kicked her to the ground, as Nero slashed with the revved up White Queen. Lucia did a ducking spin under the blade, kicking Nero in the face with both feet and landing a split second later

Vergil ducked under Lucia's blades and swung his Blitz fist into her stomach. She spiralled through the air and landed on her feet, spinning around Dante and slashing him across the back, then deflecting Nero's Light Spear, as Celeste slashed with her Dragon Blades. Blocking blow for blow, Lucia locked Celeste's blades together and slammed her head into hers, then threw her across the room, as Vergil fired electrified phantom spears at her. Lucia spun around them, hitting Vergil with a blast of energy

Dante whipped out Ebony and Ivory, firing away at Lucia, as she danced around the bullets, before doing a cartwheel away from Nero's Blue Rose and grabbed the Heart Orb and threw it at Dante. As it bounced off his chest and sent him flying, Lucia leapt through the air, catching the orb and placing it into one of the locks. The area surrounding the orb lit up, as the orb sunk halfway down into the gate

"One down, two to go," she said

†††††††††††

"Sure is a lot of demons," Tristan said

He sliced two apart with the Devil Wings, before whirling around to slice a Goatling open, then moving onto a Tartarussian

"They must know that Mephistopheles is close," Lili suggested, killing a Sin Scythe

"Which means more fun for us," Jenny added, slicing open a Gbusmira

Several Scarecrows came barrelling into view, but Michael revved up the Blue Queen, before shooting forth with the Ex-Streak move, sending the Scarecrows all over the place. Catching a Blade with his telekinesis, Cameron then bounced the demon several times, before striking with the Flame Staff, twirling it around as flames swept from the staff, burning any nearby demons as he smacked a Shadow aside

Jenny unleashed her electrical powers onto a group of Marionettes and Bloody Maries, lightning leaping from one wooden puppet to the other, finally blasting them apart in a shower of wood and splinters. Smiling to herself, Jenny then summoned Kraken, shooting the blades forth into an Orangguerra and slamming it against the wall. Tristan had changed the Devil Wings for Anubis, cutting a bloody swath around him, enjoying the slaughter he was creating

Lili decapitated a Frost, smirking as it fell back, clutching at the space where its head had been. She then slashed wide, killing three Fetishes at once, then whirled around to slice a Hell Sloth in half. Kicking then Brontmancer nearby, Lili slashed it across the chest, then rammed Yitoma into the chest of a Blood Goatling. Blue energy gathered on the blade as Lili threw the Goatling overhead, throwing it off the blade, then whipping Yitoma upwards, as three bands of energy flew off, slicing into several Bloodgoyles and turning them to stone, as Michael smashed them apart

†††††††††††

"Give it up, kid, there's no way you can beat me," Maverick growled

"Oh, I'm sure I can find a way," James replied

They slammed blades together, as the fire and ice clashed against each other. The pair then Devil Triggered, sending out waves of energy. They held their ground, trying to overcome the other in a battle of power. The clashing of fire and ice started to grow, becoming more dangerous with each passing second

"Let's see how long you can hold this up for?" Maverick said, "I am over two thousand years old. You? I'd say at least thirty years. You won't make it"

"You underestimate the power running through my veins," James said, his voice distorted by his transformation, "I can keep this up for however long I need"

The intensity of the fire and ice around them grew to an extremely dangerous point, yet the pair still had their swords locks, still struggling for power and were ignorant of what was happening around them. The power grew too much and it folded in on itself, letting rip with a massive explosion that rocked the foundations and brought the Order Headquarters crashing down. By then, James and Maverick finally realized what was happening and tried to make it out, but were blocked off, as rocks tumbled around them, burying them hundreds of feet under the ground

†††††††††††

Lucia batted Celeste aside and picked up the Spirit Orb, before rolling it along the ground past Vergil and kicking him in the chest, before flipping over him and landing on the orb, pressing it into the lock. Seeing the final orb, Dante picked it up, but Lucia appeared before him and slammed her palm into his chest, throwing him across the room, and catching the orb, only to have it punched out of her hand by Nero. Vergil came in and booted the orb into the air, where Celeste caught it. Lucia leapt up and slashed, but Celeste threw the orb away, as Dante kicked it across the room. Lucia chased after the orb, getting impaled by several of Vergil's phantom spears, as Nero slashed her across the stomach with the White Queen

Dante caught the orb and pressed Ivory's barrel to it, charging up his demonic energy into it. An axe made of demonic energy sliced into his shoulder, making his shot go off away from the orb, as Lucia swept his legs out and caught the orb. Celeste and Nero came at her, but she kicked the orb away, before teleporting behind them and catching the orb over the lock. However, before she could plant it, Vergil appeared before her and stabbed her through the stomach

"Game over, Lucia," he said

"I don't think so"

She grabbed Yamato and drew it out of her body, before throwing Vergil aside and placing the final orb into the lock. The gate lit up, as a beam of orange energy shot up through the tower, coming out of the roof and reaching into the sky above, gathering black clouds around it, as Lucia smiled

"Now, it begins"

†††††††††††


	20. The Summoning Begins

†††††††††††

An explosion of flames and the rocks parted, as James coughed, digging his way out of the makeshift grave. At the last minute, Maverick had teleported out of the cave-in, possibly back to the tower. After extracting himself completely, James rolled over onto his back, watching as the black clouds rolled over, blotting out the blue sky and the sun, as a sense of dread swept through him. Forcing himself to his feet, James sheathed Envy, before setting off back to the tower

†††††††††††

Jenny shook her head and slowly got to her feet, her jaw dropping when she saw the massive beam of energy rising up out of the ground, before remembering what had happened. Any demons that had been in the vicinity of the beam were instantly incinerated, while Jenny, Tristan and their cousins were blasted aside

Jenny looked up, seeing that the inside of the tower had changed considerably, becoming vastly more demonic and ancient. But that was not all. Portals were opening up in the air, depositing a whole range of demons…and some new ones that Jenny had never seen before. A massive demon landed before her. It looked like a satyr on steroids, with a sharp, angular face and a mouth filled with fangs. It roared a loud and frightening roar, as green energy charged up in its hand and it launched it. The ball of energy slammed into Jenny before she had time to react, slamming her against the wall. She groaned, checking her stomach and seeing that it had been torn open by the blast. Luckily for her, the wound was already healing

"Wow, that guy packs a punch," she muttered

The Hell Knight strode towards her and punched at her, but she ducked and slashed it across the stomach. However, the cut instantly healed, as the Hell Knight punched Jenny into the wall. She dropped off, leaving a small crater behind in her place. The Hell Knight went to stomp on her, but she caught its hoof and using all her strength, pushed the demon away, before flipping up onto her feet

Tristan was battling against a Fallen demon, leaping over its wide slash and hacking at its steel-like wings with the Devil Wings, shattering them and impaling the demon through the chest. It let out a scream, as Tristan then came across a demon that seemed to be made out of some kind of black ooze, as it opened its cavernous mouth, revealing the long rows of fangs. It snarled and slashed at Tristan with its claws, as he jumped back and slashed its stomach open, only for the wound to instantly heal

"Oh, this is gonna take a while," he growled

The Vunemuse roared and lunged at him, while Lili took on a demon that had a wolf's body, but eagle-like wings grew out from its back. It howled and lunged at her, baring its vicious fangs and claws, while firing razor-sharp feathers. She spun Yitoma around in front of her like a shield, deflecting the feathers, as the wolf fell upon her. Meanwhile, Michael and Cameron were battling against a massive rock golem, its hardened skin enabling it to deflect their attacks, as it punched them about

"This sucks," Michael muttered, before getting kicked through the air

†††††††††††

Trish looked up when Dante, Vergil, Nero and Celeste came bursting through the front doors of Devil May Cry. She stood up away from Ash and Caitlyn

"What's going on?" she asked

"Lucia has opened the gate to Mephistopheles," Nero replied, "We need the spell"

"Spell?"

"Lucia needs a spell to summon Mephistopheles," Dante said, "However, according to Verge, there's a counter spell"

Vergil headed into the library and started pulling books off their shelves, flicking through them to no avail

"If I had known there was a counter spell to this earlier, I would have gotten it," he muttered, "Ah, this must be it"

He opened a book and scanned through it, a small smile on his face

"I've found it. Come on, let's go. We have to stop her"

"Trish, I'm gonna need Sparda," Dante said

She nodded and handed him the legendary sword, as he left Alastor on its shelf. The Sparda siblings then left the office, as Trish turned back to her young children

†††††††††††

"It has begun," James muttered, "Mephistopheles' summoning is nearby"

He headed back into the city, noticing that it looked post-apocalyptic. Demons were running amok through the streets, as fires burned in the surrounding buildings. Dead bodies were strewn all over the roads and paths, as James continued for the tower. However, a Furiataurus appeared before him. Except this demon was twice as big as usual, its power and body having been amplified by the tower. James looked up at the massive demon and drew Envy, resting the tip on the ground

"Alright then. What time are you leaving, bargearse?"

The Furiataurus roared and swung its massive hammer, but James leapt out of the way in time, landing atop a burning car. Luckily for him, he was fire demon, so the flames had no affect on him. The Furiataurus smashed the car into flat steel with its hammer, as James landed behind it

"You know, if you went to a dermatologist, he'd prescribe a paper bag"

Whirling around, the Furiataurus charged at James and brought its hammer down overhead. He waited until the last minute before diving out of the way, a shockwave of flames spreading out from the hammer. James leapt over the wave and swung Envy at the demon's back. It chipped off a few pebbles of rock-like skin, as the Furiataurus spun around, catching James in the chest and throwing him across the street. He crashing against a building wall and fell to his hands and knees

"That was naughty"

Grabbing Envy, James headed over to the Furiataurus, blocking its hammer, before ducking under its guard and unleashing a blazing string of rapid blows. The Furiataurus roared and kicked James along the street. He got to his feet, as something sharp slammed into his back. Whirling around, James saw Bolverk approaching him with his pet wolves, Freki and Geri, by his side

"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better"

Bolverk shot forward and slashed, but James deflected his sword and slashed with a flame coated Envy, as the Furiataurus dropped down from the sky, sending James flying into a burning building

†††††††††††

Vergil laid the book down on the gate, opening it to the correct page, as Nero and Celeste took care of the demons down there. Dante, on the other hand, had taken the stairway to the roof of the tower, where Lucia was standing before the beam of energy, her arms spread as she muttered an incantation

"Time's up, Lucia," Dante said, "It's over now"

Lucia stopped her chanting and faced Dante with a smile

"You can't stop me, Dante, no matter how hard you try"

Dante simply drew Sparda and rested the blade on the ground

"What about now?" he asked with an emotionless smirk

Lucia tossed her head back and laughed

"Obviously you're getting desperate if you're resorting to that ancient blade. I remember when you didn't need that to defeat Argosax"

"Yeah, well luckily for me, he wasn't a god of any kind. Unlike you"

"I know what your siblings are up to. How about I shake things up for them?"

Lucia raised her hands, as a pair of encircled pentagram of energy surrounded them and she began muttering under her breath, causing the tower to quake and shiver. She looked up and smiled once she was done

"There. Now this should be interesting"

Vergil was reading the spell as quickly as he could, while Nero was fighting Angelo Agnus and Celeste was taking on the possessed Arius. However, he was grabbed from behind and thrown into the wall. Shaking his head, Vergil looked up, as his jaw dropped at the sight before him

"Lady?"

†††††††††††


	21. Maverick vs Lili

†††††††††††

"Lady?"

Lady was standing before him, dressed in her combat gear. However, she looked about twenty years younger than she did before she died. But she wasn't the only one who had been resurrected. Kyrie and David were also here, also looking twenty years younger than they previously did. Vergil slowly got to his feet, staring at his wife

"You back?"

"Seems that way," Lady replied

She then grabbed Vergil by the coat and tossed him through the air with ease. He landed on his feet and whirled around, as Lady came in with a sidekick to his ribs, punching him in the jaw, then slamming him against the wall. Vergil blocked her next punch and grabbed her by the shoulders

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded

Lady smacked his arms aside and grabbed him by the head, slamming hers against his and throwing him onto the ground. Vergil wasn't the only one having problems. Nero and Celeste were also battling against their respective spouses, though against their will. Vergil turned towards his wife, scoring a blow to the jaw that sent him reeling

_"This is so not good"_

†††††††††††

Deflecting Bolverk's strike, James then kicked him in the face, before slashing across Freki's face, as Geri barrelled into him. James kicked the wolf spirit off him, before rolling away from the Furiataurus' hammer when it came crashing against the road. Getting to his feet, James sent forth a jet of flames that washed over Freki, then summoned a tower of flames beneath Bolverk. Geri leapt at him, but he dropped to the ground, thrusting Envy upwards into Geri's stomach. The wolf spirit howled and faded away, as James got to his feet, narrowly dodging Bolverk's sword

"Tell me if this hurts"

Bolverk slashed again, but James jumped over the blade, kicking him in the jaw, followed by a second kick that ended in a flip. But when he did the second kick, his foot was covered in flames and he blasted Bolverk away as he landed on his feet, before swiftly blocking the Furiataurus' hammer swing

"Sorry, hothead, not this time"

†††††††††††

Maverick sauntered into the tower, looking around the chaos and carnage taking place. Demons were coming through the portals, but were getting cut down as soon as they arrived, thanks to the destructive team of Jenny, Tristan, Lili, Michael and Cameron. Evelyn was also there, providing some help with her magical abilities. Maverick leaned against the wall and smiled as he watched Lili fight. She was both graceful and deadly. She…in a way, intrigued him. She was entertaining in a way he had never seen in a woman since…well, ever

"Hey, lass," he called

Lili whirled around, an angry look on her face, but Maverick simply smiled. The memory of their kiss resurfaced, causing his grin to grow wider

"You up for another round?"

Lili flicked the blood off her blade and headed towards him, as Maverick smirked and created a sword out of ice, before blocking her blow. Lili then slashed at his legs, before whirling up from the move and kicking him in the chest

"Does your demon blood burn?" Maverick asked, "Mine does. Thaw my heart"

"I prefer to cut it out," Lili replied

She slashed, then spun around, slicing downwards, as Maverick blocked the blow and stepped back and sent forth several ice shards. Lili batted them aside, then did a wushu spin, slicing downwards. Maverick stepped out of the way, stabbing at Lili's waist. She blowed and twisted, landing a kick on Maverick's head. He staggered, flicking his sword up to block her next move, then planting his boot in her stomach. Lili flipped onto her feet, slashing with an energy-charged Yitoma that shattered his sword. Maverick looked at the broken sword, before bringing his gauntlet forth to block Lili's next blow and created a pair of ice daggers

"You know, you captured my attention the minute I saw you," Maverick said, dodging and blocking Lili's moves, "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in two thousand years. And that's saying a lot"

"I'm flattered," Lili said, slashing wide and drawing blood

Maverick looked at the cut in his shoulder and sighed, before slamming his fist into the ground and creating a strip of icicles towards Lili. She responded by shooting an energy wave from Yitoma that sliced through the icicles

"You're the only one who makes my frozen heart beat with heat"

"I always thought you didn't have a heart"

"Gotta love that attitude. Lili, love, you make me so hot"

"That is so cheesy and gross"

"Yeah well, so what? You're hot. Can't change that. And I'm into you. Can't change that either, even if I wanted to"

Maverick blocked Lili's swing and locked his blades against hers, before twisting his arms so Yitoma was safely away from him and he was close to Lili

"You're the one girl I don't wanna kill"

"Oh, that's comfor-"

She was cut off when Maverick pulled her into a passionate kiss. He smiled in his mind when she responded back with equal fervour and he was reluctant to break it, but when he did, he felt something in him that he had never felt before

"I'll be seeing you around"

He disappeared in a flash of ice. Lili growled, rubbing her lips and looking at the space where he had just been. When he didn't appear again, she knew he was gone and turned her attentions back to the battle at hand

†††††††††††

Dante raced along, Sparda held low to the ground and he sliced upwards, but Lucia was expecting the move and deflected Sparda with one cutlaseers, before slashing with the other. Dante swiftly blocked the blow, before slicing downwards, then thrusting. Lucia stepped back and parried the move, spinning around and kicking Dante in the chest. He stumbled back, as Lucia stabbed with both blades. Dante placed Sparda between the blades and twisted, forcing Lucia's arm to cross over. However, she followed through, doing a handless cartwheel and kicking Dante

"Looks like you've improved your abilities," Dante replied

"I guess I have"

Lucia shot forward, ducking under Sparda and planting a kick in Dante's solar plexus that launched him into the air. She followed after him, slashing with her cutlaseers. Dante blocked her moves, before kicking her in the stomach, followed by a backflipping kick and finished by a Helm Breaker with Sparda. Lucia blocked, but was slammed towards the ground. She landed on her feet and looked up, as Dante came flying down. He brought Sparda down overhead, but she blocked, as he pushed away from her and landed on his feet

"By the way, are those the same blades you used years ago?"

"I believe they are. I stole them from Devil May Cry"

"Thought so. I only realize when I went back there earlier"

"Guess I'll have to say thank you for looking after them for me"

"You're welcome," Dante said

Lucia lunged at him, but he blocked and shoved her over his head. She slid along the ground, then got to her feet and whirled around to deflect Dante's Stinger move. He carried on and spun, kicking Lucia in the stomach, then slashing wide. Blood ran from her body, but the wound close up and healed, as she slashed. He ducked and whirled around, blocking her arm and pointing Ebony at her head

"You're not gonna win this fight," he said

"I beg to differ. I am the Goddess of Death. I will kick your ass"

He fired a charged round into her head, but she spat out the bullet, the wound in her head healing, as Dante put his gun away and held out his empty hand

"_I _beg to differ. You can't keep me down, no matter what"

Linkin appeared in his hand, as Lucia smiled

"We'll see about that"

Then, the pair lunged at each other

†††††††††††


	22. The Dark Knight vs the Goddess

†††††††††††

Vergil ducked under Lady's punch and caught her foot on the back kick, before twisting. Lady spun in the air and landed on her hands and knees, before glaring at Vergil over her shoulder. She rose up swiftly and punched him across the jaw. Vergil then took another blow, before deflecting her third punch and blocking her sidekick

"Lady, you've got to stop this. It's me, Vergil, your husband"

"You will die, Vergil. You must die"

"This isn't you talking. It's Lucia. Fight it. Don't let her control you"

Lady sank her fist into his stomach, then grabbed him by the coat and threw him along the floor. Nero soon joined him, while Celeste was on the defensive against David. He struck her across the jaw and she responded with a blow that knocked him to his knees. Nero shook his head and got up, as Kyrie launched several balls of energy that blasted him across the room and into the wall. He groaned as he slid to the floor. Vergil flipped onto his feet and ducked under Lady's roundhouse kick, as she whirled and drew a handgun, jamming it against his forehead

"You know that won't kill me," he said

"No, but it'll hurt. That part's fun"

He smacked her arm aside, just as the shot went off. Lady quickly kicked Vergil in the stomach, then pistol whipped him, as Maverick appeared in the room. He saw the fighting going on and smiled, before encasing Lady, Kyrie and David in a block of ice each, as Vergil faced him, confusion on his face

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded

"Talk to them. Speak some sense into their head. That should work," Maverick said

"We've tried that. It doesn't work," Celeste said

"That's because they were trying to kill you. If they're immobile, it should work"

"And you're helping us out because?" Nero asked suspiciously

Maverick didn't answer, as Vergil inhaled deeply and inwardly growl. He could smell Lili's scent on Maverick, but decided not to press the matter

"Oh well, I guess I'll see you guys around," Maverick said

He disappeared in a flash of ice, as Vergil, Celeste and Nero turned to their spouses

"Oh well, here goes," Nero said

†††††††††††

James cut down Freki, smiling when the wolf spirit faded away. Then Bolverk's sword slammed into his chest and he was sent flying through the air. He got up, as the Furiataurus whirled its hammer around its head, creating a whirlwind that sucked anything towards it. James tried to outrun the whirlwind, but its power was too great and he was sucked towards Furiataurus, as it smacked him into the air. Twisting his body, James landed, bringing Envy down through Bolverk's body. He smiled when Bolverk's body split in half, before disappearing in a flash of light, then he turned towards the Furiataurus, as it roared and charged

Suddenly, Maverick appeared, creating a wall of ice that the Furiataurus bounced off

"What the hell are you doing here?" James asked, raising Envy threatening

"Hmm? Oh, I'm getting out of here," Maverick replied, "I know how it's going down. Dante will defeat Lucia and he'll save the day. He always does. So I'm leaving before he comes after me"

The Furiataurus roared and charged again, as Maverick and James both unleashed their powers onto the massive demon. It became encased in ice, as James smashed it into a thousand pieces with his fire

"How about I spare Dante the trouble and kill you myself?"

"Best of luck, blondie. You'll have to catch me first"

Maverick smirked and teleported out of sight. Looking around and unable to see him anywhere, James sheathed Envy and headed back to the tower

†††††††††††

Dante slashed with Linkin, before deflecting Lucia's cutlaseers with Sparda and whirling around with a kick to her chest. She blocked his kick and threw a dagger at him, but he smacked it aside, before parrying her dual slash and stepping away. She whirled around, as Dante summoned Lucifer and began pelting phantom swords. Lucia moved towards Dante, smacking the swords aside and reached him, bringing her cutlaseers around, but Dante was quicker, rapidly stabbing phantom swords into Lucia's torso, so when she stepped back, she had been impaled by no less then twenty swords. Dante smirked and casually tossed the rose from his mouth

Lucia hit the ground, her clothing torn and new injuries covering her body, but they healed as she got to her feet, the swords having been exploded by the rose. Dante simply smirked as he shot out about sixteen swords, before lunging at Lucia and throwing more swords. They hung ominously in the air, as Lucia slashed at Dante, but he jumped back out of range and clapped his hands. All swords shot towards Lucia, as she turned her attentions on them, shattering them with her blades. A few stabbed into her, but most was them was destroyed, as Dante clapped his hands again

Lucia ignored the new injuries as she lunged at Dante. He changed Lucifer for Cerberus, wrapping the chains around her cutlaseers and freezing the blades. Lucia turned her body, using her cutlaseers and Cerberus to throw Dante over her shoulder. As he went to get up, she kicked him along the ground, then turned back to the tower of energy and continued her chant. However, she didn't get to continue it for long, as a large bladed disc sliced her across the back. Angered, she whirled around, as the disc returned to Dante's hand and transformed into a briefcase

"You always had the most strangest weapons," Lucia said

"Well, we compliment each other so well," Dante shrugged

He transformed Pandora into the gatling gun and unleashed a barrage of bullets. Lucia leapt away from the vortex, throwing daggers at Dante as he flipped out of the way. Bullets and daggers zoomed around the top of the tower, as Dante did a flip and transformed the gatling gun into a rocket launcher and fired. Lucia jumped up onto the rocket and started using it as a surfboard in the air. Dante grinned as he recalled a similar incident involving himself from years back, during his first meeting with Lady

Transforming Pandora once again, Dante took aim and fired. The laser beam slammed into Lucia, exploding the rocket and blasting her through the air. Dante then changed the pitch and fired again, striking Lucia as she hung briefly in mid-air. She twisted her body and landed on her feet, holding about six daggers and throwing them. However, the daggers suddenly multiplied into at least thirty daggers as they flew at Dante

Summoning Sparda and Linkin, Dante deflected the daggers, smacking them about, as Lucia came flying with a kick to his chest that knocked him off his feet. Dante flipped over and landed, summoning Pandora again, before creating the battery air tank. Lucia cocked her head and frowned, as Dante smirked and pressed the trigger. Fourteen rockets were launched, racing away towards Lucia. She leapt and flipped around, trying to avoid the rockets, but they homed in on her, exploding all at once when they made contact with her. Lucia walked out of the flames, relatively unharmed, but the battle was surprisingly starting to become weary for her

"Getting tired, Lucia?" Dante asked with a knowing smile, "Wanna take a break!"

"Hardly, Dante. Just catching my second wind," Lucia replied

She threw a wave of daggers at him, but he leapt over them, shooting away with his handguns. Lucia deflected the bullets with throwing daggers, before throwing three long knives. They impaled Dante, but he ignored them, as he fired away with Artemis. The purple energy rounds shot towards Lucia, as she leapt out of the way. Charging Artemis up, Dante aimed into the air and fired, as the energy came raining down upon Lucia. She cartwheeled away, as Dante came in with a dual Stinger. Smacking both blades aside, Lucia did a backflip kick, before dropping a cranky bomb at his feet

Dante noticed and kicked the bomb aside, as it exploded in the air, before kicking Lucia with Ifrit. He followed up with a left hook, then turned and delivered the Kick 13 move to Lucia's torso. She flipped up onto her feet, burns covering her body, as Dante punched a fireball in her direction. She smacked it aside with her telekinesis, then blasted Dante along the ground with telekinesis

"Wow, a couple of new moves there," he smirked, getting up, "Give me more"

"If you wish," Lucia said

Orange energy flew over from the beam and fused with Lucia's body, as she underwent a transformation. She grew slightly taller, but still taller than Dante and her body mass filled out a bit. Her clothing changed from cotton to animal skin leather, as white feathers appeared on the cuffs of her pants and her sleeves, as well as around her collar, while a cow skull mask obscured her face, the eye sockets glowing blood red, as the mouth widened into a deadly grin. Vast bat-like wings unfurled from her back, stretching out wide, as a pair of double-headed axes appeared in her hands

"Hm, fascinating," Dante said in a bored voice

Just then, rain started to pour down on the two warriors

"Wanna see my power-up?" Dante asked

Sparda and Linkin started glowing, as he brought the two swords together. A bright glow washed over and a new, single sword was left in Dante's hands

"Goddess, meet Excalibur"

†††††††††††


	23. Sparda plus Linkin equals Excalibur

†††††††††††

James kicked the doors open and instantly set a Vunemuse on fire, before slicing open a Hell Knight, surprised to watch the injury instantly heal. Then, he was all dizzy after being uppercutted by the massive demon, his head ringing from the blow

"Okay, that hurt!"

Jenny sliced upwards across a Mega Scarecrow, then shot down a flying wolf, only for the demon to get to its feet and lunge at her. She stabbed it through the head, then ripped Rebellion away and took out a Death Scythe, narrowly dodging an energy blast from a Hell Knight, as a large Linkin Beast landed behind her. She turned around and looked up at the demon. It towered over her easily, its lips drawn back in a snarl to reveal its sharp fangs. Its wings were partially unfurled, as it raised its claws. Jenny leapt out of the way, before having to dodge a streak of flames

"That's not playing nice"

Tristan dodged a Scarecrow's blade and eviscerated it, as a Blade slashed his shoulder. Whirling around with a kick, Tristan then sliced the Blade open with the Devil Wings, before blasting a Hell Greed away with lightning bolts, as a Vunemuse fell upon him. Lili was killing demons left, right and centre with cold efficiency, Yitoma whipping back and forth, spraying demon blood all over the floor, before firing an energy beam that sliced a Hell Knight in half, as a Hell Vanguard took its place, swinging its large scythe at something

"Does having a big scythe mean you're overcompensating for something?"

The Hell Vanguard frowned at her, before lunging. She leapt back, slashing wide with Yitoma. Meanwhile, Michael was battling against an Arachnid, while Cameron took on a large Chaos demon. The pair were aided by Evelyn, attacking the demons with magical projectiles and keeping out of the way as best as she could

†††††††††††

Vergil slammed his fist into the ice, shaking it completely, as Lady fell limp into his arms. He went down on his knees to support her as Nero and Kyrie took their of their spouses. Carefully and gently, Vergil shook Lady awake, smiling when she smiled back and placed a hand on his face

"So, you're not gonna try and kill me anymore?" he asked

"No," Lady replied

"Good, cause that would be awkward"

He helped Lady to his feet, seeing that his siblings were doing the same

"What exactly happened?" Vergil asked

"I don't know," Lady replied, "Lucia killed me, I was dead, then I came back to life all of a sudden, I'm twenty years younger and I'm trying to kill you"

"Good thing Maverick came along," Nero muttered, "And helped us out"

"Yeah, I don't understand why he did that," Celeste said

"Doesn't matter," Vergil said, "All that matters is that they're alive again"

"Standing right here," David muttered

"Hopefully, Dante is going well against Lucia," Nero said, "That said, we've got to stop her from raising Mephisto"

"Alright, let's get started on this spell," Vergil said

He headed over to the book and opened it to the right page

"Also, there's a big battle happening upstairs," Kyrie said

"Okay, you guys head on up and help out. I'm countering the spell"

"I'll stay with you," Lady said, placing a hand on Vergil's shoulder

He smiled and started reading the spell

†††††††††††

Dante ducked under one axe, before doing a horizontal spin over the second axe, as Lucia threw several knives with her telekinesis. Dante assumed a blocking position, the knives bouncing off his skin, as he released all the energy he had contained with blocking, transforming into a horned demon with thick, rock-like skin. He drew Excalibur and lunged at Lucia, trading blow for blow, although Lucia had the upper hand. However, her axes were bouncing off Dante's skin and the blows had no affect on him, as he continued slashing and slicing, until the transformation wore off

"That was a handy trick," Lucia said

"Yeah, I've got heaps of them. In a bag and up my sleeve"

"Wanna see one of mine?"

Lucia breathed out a gust of wind, so powerful that it blasted Dante across the rooftop. Rain continued to pour, getting stronger and stronger by the minute, while the beam of energy still pulsed brightly. Lucia exchanged her axes for her cutlaseers, which were now twice their original size. She lunged at Dante, as he blocked and defended with Excalibur, feeling the power coursing through the ancient sword. Energy flashed through the air as their blades clashed together. Excalibur gave Dante extra strength and power, enabling him to hold his own against the Goddess. Just then, the beam of energy started to shimmer

"Seems like your siblings are trying to stop me," Lucia said, "Their attempts are futile. Watch what I do next"

She muttered under her breath, energy whipping around her, then dying as quickly as it had appeared. Lucia looked up at Dante, a grin on her face

†††††††††††

Vergil was about a quarter of the way through the spell, when the air started to whip up around him. Frowning, he looked up to see Nightmare and Griffon before him

"Oh…how's it going?" he asked

"Nelo Angelo. It has been such a long time," Griffon said

"I'm guessing you want to kill me," Vergil said, "Well, considering how cramp it is in here, which means you can't fly, how about we take this outside?"

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lady asked

"No. Stay here and complete the spell"

"I can't read Latin"

"Get Lili then. She's fluent"

Lady hurried off to fetch her daughter, as Vergil turned to the two demons

"I'll see you out there"

With Yamato by his side, he teleported out of the tower, as Nightmare and Griffon appeared before him, the latter wheeling overhead in the pouring rain

"Alright then, bring it on"

†††††††††††

Dante jumped up and pushed off one blade, before leaping off the other blade and bringing Excalibur down overhead, leaving a streak of energy behind. Lucia whipped her swords up and blocked the move, as Dante flipped over and kicked her in the face, pushing away and landing on his feet. Lucia growled and slashed with both blades, as Dante rolled past her, before whirling around to block her. Lashing out with a kick, Lucia then threw several knives, as Dante stumbled back, impaled by them. He tore them away, the blood washing off in the rain, while his wounds instantly heal

"We're gonna be here all day," he said

"Until the judgement day, when the trumpet sounds," Lucia said, "I like that"

"Of course you do. You're officially nuts. No offence"

"None taken"

Dante tried a Stinger, getting blocked, before forcing Lucia's swords away and slashing her across the stomach. She brought her swords back and sliced him across the chest, as phantom daggers appeared in a circle around her and she fired them. Dante leapt out of the way, firing away with Ebony and Ivory, as Lucia backed away, deflecting a few bullets with her swords, then summoned her zambaks and lunging forward with a whirlwind slicing motion

Dante stepped away from her, slashing wide, but she was quick to defend, trying out a scissors kick. As he was lifted up by the move, Dante kicked Lucia in the face and landed on his feet, as she aimed a kick at his face. He dodged her boot and stabbed with Excalibur, but she smacked the large blade aside and shot forward, bringing her swords together in a scissors motion

Dante teleported out of the way, as Excalibur started glowing. Reversing the sword, Dante whipped it forward, followed by another two slashes, as three waves of energy shot from the blade and sliced through the air. Lucia twisted her body to dodge each Drive move, before stomping her foot and creating a path of spikes that streaked towards Dante. He rolled out of the way, as Lucia appeared before him, swinging her large double-headed axes into Dante's stomach

"You've had a brilliant run, Dante, but the end is near. Actually, it's now"

"I don't think so," Dante said, "I've still got a highway to cover yet"

And then, he Devil Triggered

†††††††††††


	24. The End is Near

**Penultimate chapter**

†††††††††††

Jenny slashed Rebellion wide, the blade ripping through three Hell Lust demons at once, reducing them to dust. An Arachne fired a jet of web at her, but she jumped over it, shooting the spider demon until it collapsed, then whirled around and performed the Drive move on a Hell Knight, slicing it diagonally in half. Tristan sliced a Hell Pride into the air, then jumped onto its back when it landed and pushed off, using the demon like a skateboard, holding the Devil Wings out and slicing through the demonic horde, before using a falling Goatling as a ramp and killing the Pride in mid air, falling down upon a Linkin Beast and stabbing it through the throat

Holding out his hand, James instantly incinerated a small group of Hell Gluttonies, then whipped Envy around to slice open an Auromancer, before stabbing his sword through the head of a Sin Scissors. It screamed and faded away, as James then took on a Plutonian. It swung its chain balls at him, but he leapt out of the way, sending down a streak of flames that burned away at the demon. Revving up the throttle, Nero shot forth with the Ex-Streak move, taking down several Scarecrows at once, before throwing three dark swords into three Goatlings, then grabbing a Brontmancer with the Diablo Bringer and slamming it against the ground several times

Celeste tore into the demons with her Abigail Glaives, turning several to ice and turning others into rotten corpses after infecting them with sickness. Blood sprayed in fountains around her, as she cut a bloody swath through them, aided by David, as his bullets tore into the demons. Throwing a grenade, he shot a Bloody Mary at point-blank range with his shotgun, as the grenade went off, ripping through several demons and reducing them to dust or burning hunks of flesh, before melting away

Michael caught a Fallen with his Angel Bringer and spun the demon around his head, before slamming it into the ground, as Cameron smacked the Flame Staff into the stomachs of Enigmas and spun them around, burning them, before throwing them aside and taking on a Dullahan, aided by his sister. Kyrie was battling against a Damned Bishop, as Lady fired a rocket that blew up an Abyss demon

Tristan twirled Anubis around, firing off energy orbs and taking down several Hell Lust demons, as a Hell Knight lumbered towards him, swinging its massive fists. Blocking the blows with Anubis, Tristan then leapt up and impaled one blade through its head. The Hell Knight snarled, blasting Tristan away with an energy blast, before keeling over, blood pumping from its fatal wound. Changing Anubis for Vengeance, Tristan then whirled around, shattering a Sargasso demon and impaling an Assault as it leapt at him. He threw the demon off the blade and carried on

Bianco Angelos zoomed about, before diving at Jenny and James, who were standing next to each other. Jenny threw Rebellion, which took out a few Biancos, as James surrounded himself in flames, before shooting several fireballs. A few Biancos went down, but the rest of the fireballs were deflected by their shields, as they landed before the pair and started attacking with their energy-charged lances

"You know, I've been wondering," James said, deflecting a strike

"Yeah, what's that?" Jenny asked

"When this is all over…how would you like to go on a date?"

"And yeah I was thinking this was a date"

"A proper date. One that doesn't involve bloodshed"

"Yeah, I'm up for it"

James grinned and killed his Bianco, as Jenny did the same

†††††††††††

"Okay, so this is the spell to stop Mephisto," Lili said to herself

A Scarecrow landed behind her and leapt, but without looking, Lili unsheathed Yitoma and sliced the demon in half, as she concentrated on the spell

"Okay, here goes"

Letting out a sigh, Lili started reading the spell. Three Scarecrows landed before her, but she whipped Yitoma around, whilst still chanting the spell, and killed them

"This is gonna be a while"

†††††††††††

Vergil dodged the gunfire from Nightmare, diving behind a burning car until the shooting stopped. Griffon came flying down, unleashing an arc of red lightning. Vergil dived out from behind the car, as it exploded from the lightning bolts. Shooting phantom spears at Griffon, Vergil teleported to Nightmare with Beowulf equipped and landing a kick on the demon's hide. It knocked him aside with a spear, before charging towards him. Griffon dived and attempted to slash at Vergil with his talons, but the half-demon teleported out of the way, as a net dropped on him

Drawing Yamato, Vergil cut his way out of the net, just as Nightmare came crashing down inside, the net melting back into its skin, as hatches opened up and the air suddenly got very cold. Vergil felt his demonic power being drawn in by Nightmare and he summoned the Phantom Cannon, shooting a flaming cannon ball into one of the hatches, destroying it. Nightmare screeched and melted down into ooze

"Down, but not quite out," Vergil said, turning towards Griffon

He dived, letting loose a barrage of electrical beams. Vergil leapt or teleported amongst them, before slashing with Yamato and drawing a crimson line across Griffon's breast. He screeched, bringing his talons forth to slash Vergil, who teleported out of the way. As he landed on the road, Nightmare appeared in a blanket of ooze, attempting to absorb Vergil into itself, but he teleported out of the way, before zooming in with a Hellebore Stinger. Nightmare roared in agony, as Vergil let loose with a barrage of flaming attacks with Yamato in the mix, reducing the demon to a small puddle of ooze, as it soon faded away

"One down, one to go"

Griffon landed and flared his wings, before shooting a lightning bolt. Vergil deflected the bolt with Yamato, making his way towards Griffon, deflecting each lightning bolt fired his way. Griffon took off into the air, as Vergil Devil Triggered and followed after him, flying through the storm of red lightning, as he released a band of energy from Yamato, slicing into Griffon. He screeched and plummeted, as Vergil landed and sheathed Yamato, which started glowing. Bands of purple energy appeared on Griffon's body, as Vergil drew and slash wide. Griffon screeched again as his body fell apart into cubed pieces of flesh, then melted away. Resuming his human form, Vergil sheathed Yamato, then ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up again

"Now, back to the Goddess"

†††††††††††

Dante's demonic form crackled with raw energy, looking like a cross between his Majin form and Sparda. Lucia knew she was finally meeting her match and lunged at him, swinging her axes. Sparks flew when Excalibur clashed against her swords and the pair duelled it out, moving faster than the human eye could ever hope to see. Lightning arced through the air, as the rain pounded down harder than before. And the two warriors kept up their furious battle, trading blow for blow. Lucia was lithe and quick on her feet, utilizing her speed, while Dante had strength and the blood of Sparda running through his veins. Clashing blades again, they separated, as Lucia spread her wings and took to the sky, using her telekinesis to propel the lightning bolts towards Dante. He spread his wings and took after her, dodging the bolts

"No! You won't win this time, Dante!" Lucia cried

"I think I have something to say about that," Dante replied

He whirled Excalibur around his head, charging it up with energy. Lucia channelled her energy into her swords, as Dante shot at her. She flew down, blades clashing together, as an explosion rang out, shaking the whole area. When the dust cleared, Dante and Lucia were battling in mid-air, spinning, ducking and weaving as they traded energy-charged blows. Lucia kicked Dante in the face, then slammed her blades against his chest, slamming him back to the ground. Dante bounced once and landed on his feet, as Lucia flew at him. He waited until the right moment, before slicing upwards, ripping into Lucia's stomach and slicing her open. She faulted in her flight, crashing to the ground, as Dante resumed his human form

"How does that feel?" he asked, heading over to her

Lucia growled and lunged forth, impaling Dante through the stomach

"You tell me," she shot back

Dante swung Excalibur, but she ducked and ripped her sword away, before kicking him in the chest. Dante rolled back onto his knees, blocking Lucia, then slicing at her legs. She jumped over the blade, as Dante rose up with a Stinger. Lucia stepped back, slashing at his throat, but he ducked under the blade, moving past her, as she whirled around, slashing wide. Stepping back, Dante sliced upwards, then did an Extended Stinger. Lucia flipped back onto her feet, as Dante Dashed at her, before doing his Dance Macabre move, finishing off with the Overdrive. Lucia fell slump to the ground, resuming her human form, as Dante stood over her

"It's over now, Lucia," he said

"No, I don't think so," she said

Lucia chanted under her breath, as the beam of energy widened, as black energy appeared, swirling inside the beam. Lucia smiled as she got to her feet, reaching her hand out to the black energy. Dante realized what was going on and impaled Lucia through the stomach with Excalibur

"I'm sorry," he said

†††††††††††


	25. Fall of the Goddess

**This is the final chapter, so I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews and a special thanks to fusion90XXXX for your contributions, such as the Diablo and Angel Bringers, as well as the moves for the Blitz Armour. I hope you enjoy this last chapter**

†††††††††††

Lili smiled as she completed the spell, feeling the power running through her, as the beam faltered and began fading away, falling back into the gate, as the lights disappeared and the orbs popped out of their locks

"That was too easy," she grinned

†††††††††††

Nero did an Ex-High Roller, spinning three Scarecrows in the air, then shooting forth and slicing them apart, before landing and taking on a Linkin Beast. Celeste threw her two glaives through several Hell Sin demons, reducing them to dust, as a Vunemuse lunged at her, baring its fangs. Whirling around, she sliced through it with her glaives, then booted a Nobody in the chest and sliced it open

Tristan tore through the demons, taking them down, as an Orangguerra roared and leapt through the air at him. Tristan dived away at the last minute, as the Devil Wings began glowing blood red. When the Orangguerra roared at him, Tristan whipped the swords forward, shooting energy off the blades that sliced the Orangguerra into four parts. As its body dissolved, Tristan whirled around to battle a Blitz demon

Jenny sliced Rebellion upwards, shattering the wings of a Fallen, as she then struck its vulnerable body with lightning bolts, frying the demon. She then moved onto a Kyklops, chipping away at its rocky skin with Rebellion, before ramming the sword through the Kyklop's mouth. As it died, Jenny summoned the swordstaff, slicing down two Abyss demons at once, as a Hell Vanguard lunged at her, its scythe clashing against her staff. She pushed back and spun the staff around, the blades slicing into the Vanguard, as it faded away, before lunging up behind her. She whirled around in time, blocking the blow, before leaping up and slicing the demon apart before she fell. Upon landing, she then took on a pair of Damned Pawns

James created a tower of flames beneath a Cutlass, forcing it out of the ground, then lunging forth with a Stinger, impaling the fish-like demon, before throwing it aside and unleashing a blast of flames onto a Blood Goatling. As it roared and fell down, its body smoking, James then leapt at a Hell Knight, decapitating the demon, before facing a Linkin Beast as it roared at him. Knowing it was part of his race, James nonetheless battled against the demon, coming out victorious after a prolonged battle

Lili came up from the basement, slicing a Homomsira in half, then impaling a Pyromancer and kicking it off Yitoma. A Puia fired razor-sharp feathers at her, but Lili deflected them, before shooting the vulture-like demon down with phantom swords, as she moved onto several Abyss demons, tearing them apart with exceptional skill, before battling against a Tartarussian, dodging its chains and balls, before attacking it with a wide range of stylish moves, finishing it off with the Judgement Cut, similar in a way to her father's technique

The portals had been closed by Vergil and Lili's spell, which meant no more demons were coming through. They were quickly torn apart by the Sparda family, reduced to dust and bloodied body parts, before fading away

"So, is that all of them?" Tristan asked, "Is it all over now?"

"Yeah, it's over," Lili said, "Mephistopheles isn't rising today"

"His rising is inevitable anyway," Nero said, "Lucia was trying to hurry it along"

"Well, I think we've suspended his arrival for quite some now. And I got these"

She held out the three orbs needed to bring Mephistopheles to life, as Nero, Celeste and James took one each, looking at them with curiosity

"We have to hide this away," Nero said, "We can't let anyone get hold of them"

"Easy. We'll just spread them all over the world," Tristan suggested, "Uncle Nero, Aunt Celeste and James, you go and hide them. But don't tell us where, kay?"

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Celeste said

Just then, the tower began to shake and descend

"Anyone get that sinking feeling?" Jenny asked, "Let's get out of here"

They quickly left the tower, standing on the street and watching as it slowly sank

†††††††††††

_Five minutes earlier…_

Lucia grabbed hold of Excalibur and removed the blade from her body, before kicking Dante in the face and spinning around with another kick to his chest. Dante stumbled back, as Lucia slashed with her swords in a windmill fashion. He raised Excalibur in time, blocking the blows, before slashing at Lucia's stomach. She jumped back, hitting Dante with a blast of energy that knocked him across the ground. He hit the ground and instantly bounced up onto his feet, as Lucia appeared before him

He cracked her across the jaw with his fist, then kicked her in the stomach, doing a second kick that ended in a backflip. They landed on their feet at the same time, before lunging at each other. Their blades struck each other twice, as the pair landed in the opposite direction, before facing each other

"You've lost, Lucia," Dante said, "Game's over. Mephistopheles isn't coming"

"But I still stand," Lucia cried, "I am the Goddess of Death. You can't beat me!"

"We'll see about that. I think it's time to end this"

Dante held Excalibur flat to the ground, energy gathering on the blade. Lucia smiled and held her cutlaseers out, as gold energy appeared on the blades. Then, they set off at a run towards each other. A memory flashed in Dante's mind. This was happening in a similar fashion to when he had last fought Vergil when they were teenagers. Shaking the memory from his mind, Dante concentrated on the run and brought Excalibur up. Lucia was swinging one cutlaseer out front and the other down overhead, but at the last minute, Dante feinted and dodged around the blades, slicing Lucia across the stomach and discharging the energy. She cried out, falling to her knees, as black smoke escaped from the wound, evaporating into the air. Dante lowered Excalibur and turned around when Lucia was kneeling on the ground, her shoulder shaking. Warily, he stepped around, surprised to see her crying

"Lucia?" he asked

She looked up at him, tears streaking down her face. The black make-up had disappeared when the power of the Goddess left her

"Dante…I'm so sorry…god I'm sorry…for everything I've done!"

Dropping Excalibur aside, Dante fell before her, pulling her into a hug

"Lucia, shh, it's okay…it wasn't you, okay, it wasn't you"

"She was so…powerful, Dante. I had…no control over her"

"I know, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine"

Just then, the tower began to shake. Dante looked around, seeing that the tower was sinking back into the ground. The black clouds had faded away, as he sheathed Excalibur, before helping Lucia to her feet

"Come on, we've got to get out of here"

They headed over to the edge of the tower, before leaping off. They Devil Triggered and floated to the ground, before resuming their human forms, as the tower sank completely beneath the ground, disappearing from sight

"Dante!"

He whirled around, as his twin pulled him into a manly hug

"You made it," Vergil said

"So did you," Dante replied

"Vergil," Lucia said, "I'm so sorry for what I did to Lady"

"What happened to you?" Vergil asked

"The Goddess was possessing her. Now it's gone and we've got Lucia back"

"So, you're one hundred percent Lucia? Not one hundred percent Goddess?"

"One hundred percent Lucia"

"Good to hear. Come on, Dante, everyone's waiting for you"

Vergil slung his arm around Dante's shoulders, as the twins headed off towards their families. Lucia looked over her shoulder at the place where the tower had previously been. Smiling, she turned away and followed after the twins towards their family. And as she followed after them, her eyes flashed red for a brief second

†††††††††††


End file.
